Why Getting Shots isn't Such a Bad Thing

I don't know about you, but I hate having to go to the doctor to get a big needle stuck in my arm! The anticipation and nerves  while just sitting on the table waiting for that little pinch are almost unbearable. Without knowing a lot about them, it's easy to wish you never had to get shots. Have you ever wondered why it's such a big deal to get your vaccinations, or what vaccination even means? You might be interested to know how that little pinch could save you a lot of problems down the road, and that the reason for those routine annoyances starts with how your body already works.

What is your immune system?

To understand what vaccines do for the body, let's first talk about how your body naturally fights diseases. If you think about viruses and bad bacteria (there are lots of good bacteria, but that's for a different discussion) as invaders in your body trying to make you sick, the immune system is like your own personal army of defenders. These invading viruses and bacteria are also known as microbes. White blood cells are your first type of defense (3); think of them as the knights in shining armor standing at the front lines ready to take on all evil microbes. They are very good at their job for lots of diseases, but more powerful viruses and bacteria can outwit them. This is where antibodies come in! Antibodies are the smartest of your body's defenders. Each one knows how to defeat only a few types of microbes, so your body keeps MILLIONS of different antibodies ready to fight off all types of invaders (3). Every time a virus or bacteria sneaks into your body, one of your antibodies learns how to fight it off, and once you have a bunch of those antibodies, that disease can never make you sick again! (3)

How do vaccines help?

Like we just talked about, your antibodies are the brains of your immune system. They learn and remember how to fight the microbe invaders in order to keep you from getting sick (3). You can think of vaccines as special intel, or information, that doctors give your antibodies to help them learn about some really bad diseases (3). The actual stuff going into your blood is known as a "weakened virus," or a blueprint of a virus or bacteria that can't actually hurt you (1). Your immune system then uses this blueprint to produce antibodies that can fight that disease. Once the antibodies know how to fight it, the actual disease is much less likely to get you sick if it gets into your body (1)! Since doctors and scientists know how great your body already is at fighting diseases on its own, they use vaccines as a way of informing your body about a disease and letting your immune system do the rest (1).

What diseases do we get vaccinated for?

(Figure 1) Infant with Measles

Every couple years or so your doctor will let you and your parents know it's time for a follow-up vaccination. This is because immunizations, which are the shots you get containing the disease blueprints, are usually recommended to be given multiple times with a number of years between. With how many times you've already had to sit through getting vaccinated, I'm sure you're wondering what diseases all these vaccines are even for! For starters, there are a few common vaccines given only one time in very early years (usually before you're even 2 years old!). These include immunizations for polio, measles, and chickenpox (2). Although chickenpox and measles are different diseases that can cause different complications, they both look similar to Figure 1, which is a young baby with measles. Polio has recently been uncommon due to the vaccinations given for it, but it was very common and very deadly several decades ago. It affected the nervous system, which is what you brain uses to tell your body how to walk and use your arms, and could eventually lead to paralysis, or not being able to move your body. After you've grown up to where you are now, the most common vaccinations you get are the flu shot and DTaP. DTaP is a vaccine that prevents against the potentially serious diseases Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis (2). Both of these vaccines are given every 7-10 years (2), so if you've gotten one recently, you're in the clear for a while!

Sources
(1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017, March 10). Immunization: The
     basics. In Vaccines and immunizations home. Retrieved from Centers for Disease 
     Control and Prevention website: https://www.cdc.gov/ 
(2) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016, April 15) Vaccines for your
     children: Protect your child at every age. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/
(3) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (2012, November). How 
     vaccines work. Retrieved from a US Department of Health and Human Services
     managed website: https://www.vaccines.gov/ 

Images (in order of appearance)

(1) Young girl getting vaccinated [photograph]. Retrieved from 

     http://www.clinicaladvisor.com/web-exclusives/vaccinations-safe-for-us-

     children/article/359655/

(2) Knight in shining armor [animated image]. Retrieved from 
     https://fineartamerica.com/featured/knight-shield-holding-lance-cartoon-
     aloysius-patrimonio.html
(3) Vaccine in syringe [photograph]. Retrieved from http://sarahwestall.com/
     vaccine-reactions-autism-disabilities-tipping-point-barbara-loe-fisher/
(4) (Figure 1) Infant with measles [photograph]. Retrieved from 
     https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/37135.php