Vaccines

How do vaccines work?

Vaccines, or vaccinations, which usually are administered as shots, are a method of protecting you, your family, and your community from infectious diseases.

They work by introducing a small amount of the weakened organism that causes the disease into your system. While this dose isn’t enough to make you sick, it is enough to encourage your body to create antibodies that can effectively combat the diseases. This process is called immunization.

Common vaccinations include:

• COVID-19
• Chickenpox (Varicella)
• Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTaP)
• Hepatitis A and B
• Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
• Polio (IPV)

While there’s a possibility you may still get sick, if you are infected, the infection will probably not be as severe.

What if I don’t get vaccinated?

Not getting vaccinated puts you and everyone else around you at risk. Those who are vaccinated are protected from the disease and from spreading it; vaccines reduce the spread of disease across immunized populations.

You and your children should be vaccinated because shots:

• Protect against dangerous diseases
• Reduce the spread of disease
• Have very low instances of side effects
• Are more cost-effective than being treated for disease

Most importantly, if enough people are not vaccinated, seemingly extinct diseases could become more widespread once again, such as measles.

Because it is possible to contract different diseases depending on where you are in the world, you may need additional vaccines before you travel. Schedule an appointment with LaSante Health Center before leaving the country to make sure you’re not at risk.

Are vaccines safe?

Vaccines are incredibly safe. In fact, they are held to the highest standard of safety. Vaccines aren’t legalized until they undergo years of rigorous study. Even after becoming legal, they’re constantly monitored for efficacy.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention constantly works to make vaccinations even safer. 

In most cases, someone who gets a vaccine experiences no side effects. Though it’s possible for some people to experience fever or soreness at the injection site, these should subside quickly. It’s also possible to have an allergic reaction to a vaccine, though this is rare. Talk to your provider if you’ve had negative reactions to vaccines in the past.

To schedule a vaccination consultation at LaSante Health Center, call the office or request an appointment online today.