Chapter 14: Vaccinations

Abstract

Vaccinations are a defense mechanism is today’s healthcare system against disease. Vaccines are a way to introduce your body to a disease without putting you at risk. Essentially, you teach your immune system what to look for. Whenever you teach it what to look for, your body is able to fight it off faster and more efficiently if you were to come in contact with it. Since it will recognize it, you might not ever know you came in contact with it because your body fought it off so well that you never even got sick. You might be wondering how all of this works. How can you be introduced to a disease and not be at risk? How does your immune system know to fight these pathogens off? This is because of how smart your body is.