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| Vaccine Basics |
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How Vaccines Work |
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| What is Immunity? |
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| When disease germs enter your body, they start to reproduce. Your immune system recognizes these germs as foreign invaders and responds by making proteins called antibodies. These antibodies' first job is to help destroy the germs that are making you sick. They
may not act fast enough to prevent you from becoming sick, but by eliminating the attacking germs, antibodies help you to get well.
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| The antibodies’ second job is to protect you from future infections. They remain in your bloodstream, and if the same germs ever try to infect you again — even after many years — they will come to your defense. Only now that they are experienced at fighting these particular germs, they can destroy them before they have a chance to make you sick. This is immunity. It is why most people get diseases like measles or chickenpox only once, even though they might be exposed many times during their lifetime. |
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| Vaccines to the Rescue |
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| Vaccines offer a solution to this problem. They help you develop immunity without getting sick first. |
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| Vaccines are made from the same germs (or parts of them) that cause disease; for example, polio vaccine is made from polio virus. But the germs in vaccines are either killed or weakened so they won't make you sick. |
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| Vaccines
containing these weakened or killed
germs are introduced into your body,
usually by injection. Your immune system
reacts to the vaccine in a similar way
that it would if it were being invaded
by the disease — by making antibodies.
The antibodies destroy the vaccine germs
just as they would the disease germs —
like a training exercise. Then they stay
in your body, giving you immunity. If
you are ever exposed to the real
disease, the antibodies are there to
protect you. |
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For more information, see Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention,
How vaccines work: preventing diseases |
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Video Library |
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| How Do Vaccines Work?: The first ever vaccine was created when Edward Jenner, an English physician and scientist, successfully injected small amounts of a cowpox virus into a young boy to protect him from the related (and deadly) smallpox virus. But how does this seemingly counterintuitive process work? Kelwalin Dhanasarnsombut details the science behind vaccines. |
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| >> view all vaccine basics videos |
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| This page was updated on
March 3, 2021. |
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| This page was reviewed on March 3,
2021. |
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Immunize.org • 2136 Ford Parkway • Suite 5011 • Saint Paul, Minnesota • 55116 |
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tel 651-647-9009 • fax 651-647-9131 |
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Immunize.org (IAC), a non-profit organization, works to increase immunization rates and prevent disease by creating and distributing educational materials for health professionals and the public that enhance delivery of safe and effective immunization services. IAC also facilitates communication about the safety, efficacy, and use of vaccines within the broad immunization community of patients, parents, healthcare organizations, and government health agencies. |
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