Vaccines Q & A

Vaccines are one of our most effective health interventions, but are often misunderstood. In this Q&A, we explain what they are, how they work and why they are important.

What is a vaccine?  6park.com
We’re protected from infectious disease by our immune system, which destroys disease-causing germs – also known as pathogens – when they invade the body. If our immune system isn’t quick or strong enough to prevent pathogens taking hold, then we get ill.  6park.com
We use vaccines to stop this from happening. A vaccine provides a controlled exposure to a pathogen, training and strengthening the immune system so it can fight that disease quickly and effectively in future. By imitating an infection, the vaccine protects us against the real thing. 

Why are vaccines important? 6park.com
They protect us from dangerous diseases. In some regions or populations, dangerous diseases are constantly present (endemic). Examples include hepatitis B, cholera and polio. So long as these diseases are around, we need vaccines to bolster our immune systems and protect us from harm. 6park.com
They protect children and the elderly. Our immune systems are strongest in adulthood, meaning that young children and the elderly are particularly susceptible to dangerous infections. By strengthening our immune systems early and late on in life, vaccines bypass this risk.  6park.com
They protect the vulnerable. If enough of a population is vaccinated, infections can’t spread from person to person, which means that everyone has a high level of protection – even those who don’t have immunity.This is known as herd protection (or herd immunity). It’s important because not everyone can be directly protected with vaccines – some people are unresponsive to them or have allergies or health conditions that prevent them from taking them.  6park.com
They can help us control epidemics. In a world of denser cities, increased international travel, migration and ecological change, the ability of emerging infectious diseases (such as Ebola) to spread and cause devastation is increasing. Vaccines can be a key tool in managing this threat – but only if we have them ready for diseases when they appear. 6park.com
They can help limit drug resistance. Medicine relies on being able to treat infectious diseases with antimicrobial drugs, such as antibiotics, but overuse and misuse of these drugs is leading to infections becoming resistant to them. By preventing infections that would require drug treatments, vaccines reduce the opportunity for drug resistance to develop.  6park.com
They are our most effective health intervention. Vaccines prevent an estimated 2–3 million deaths worldwide every year. But, a further 1.5 million lives could be saved annually with better global vaccine coverage...

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