Article Updated 08/07/2018
Hello Parents!
I know that vaccinations are a hot topic, something you think about for your protection and the protection of your children. In this article, I will give you information that may help answer questions I frequently receive. I hope it will help guide you through the issue of vaccines.
In this article:
- Vaccines: Protection from Serious Illnesses
- Vaccinations Around the World
- How is a vaccine made?
- Vaccinating Women, Women who Become Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women
- The Baby’s Immune System
- Vaccine Risks and Local Responses
Vaccines: Protection from Serious Illnesses
After childbirth, the human organism fights thousands of microbes found in water, the air, in food, etc. every day. Why? To develop its immune system to protect the body from many germs later in life.
Although the human body can defend itself formidably, unfortunately, it’s unable to fight all the pathogen agents found in its environment. This is when vaccines come in!
Many severe illnesses around the world aren’t treatable and severely impact the health of many people.
A vaccine can protect a person from serious illnesses, before they’re infected, to prevent related serious consequences. We know that vaccinations are the most effective way to prevent illnesses. However, they also help avoid infection between people when they have a contagious disease. The impacts can be dramatic.
History has proven that immunising the population around the world has allowed us to check or eradicate serious illnesses, such as smallpox and polio. It also allowed us to control epidemics, saving more than 2 million people around the world from death. In Canada, for years vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, rubella and hepatitis B has almost eliminated the presence of these illnesses.
Make sure you read the next part: Vaccinations Around the World.