Vaccines and immunization: What is vaccination?

What are Vaccine and Vaccination?

A vaccine helps our immune system to multiply antibodies, just as it does when it’s exposed to a disease. However, vaccines contain only killed or very weakened forms of germs like viruses or bacteria, so they do not cause the disease or put anyone at complications or risk.

A simple, safe, and effective way of protecting us against harmful diseases, before we come into contact with them is known as Vaccination. It uses the body’s natural defences to build resistance to specific infections and makes the immune system stronger.

Most vaccines are given with the help of injection, while some are given orally (by mouth) or sprayed into the nose.

Who can get a vaccine dose?

Generally, everyone can get vaccinated but some people should not get vaccines and should wait before getting them cause of some medical conditions such as:

• Treatments or Chronic diseases that affect the immune system (ex:- chemotherapy).
• At rare chances, Severe and life-threatening allergies to vaccine ingredients.
• If you have a high fever or severe illness on the day of vaccination.

These factors may vary according to the vaccine. If you’re not sure about you or your child should get a particular vaccine, just talk to your health professional. He/she can help you make an informed choice about vaccination for you or your child.

Are vaccines safe?

Licensed vaccines are rigorously tested across multiple phases of trials before they are approved for use and regularly reassessed once it is introduced. Scientists are also constantly monitoring information from several sources for any sign that a vaccine may cause health risks.

So, there is no need for panic. Vaccines injected publically are safe.

What are the side effects of a vaccine?

A Vaccine is just like medicine and can cause mild side effects, such as a low-grade fever, or pain or redness at the injection site. And these mild reactions go away on their own within a few days.

Severe or long-lasting side effects are extremely rare as vaccines are continually monitored for safety, to detect rare adverse events.

Vaccination in Covid-19

There is already a post from this blog on Vaccination in covid, describing vaccination ratios, vaccines available, doses, etc. (According to INDIA)

Click this link to visit the page: Vaccination in Covid

Why its necessary to take two doses of a vaccine?

After a lot of researches during the trial phase for each of the two-dose vaccines present in India (Covaxin | Covishield) showed that, after a certain time, the rate of immunity to COVID-19 plateaued with just one dose but that the second dose helped boost the immunity to higher rates.

There are a huge of reasons why the second dose is so important. For one, it’s important to protect yourself against getting the virus. But it’s also important to keep from spreading it to others.

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