Vaccines are a common part of our childhood.
But why are they so important?
Before I get ahead of myself, let's take it back a little and learn
about our immune system.
Our immune system protects us from foreign substances.
It works to identify what type of germ is making us sick
and then defend against the germ with an immune response.
Part of this response involves making antibodies: large Y shaped proteins
used by the immune system to identify and neutralize germs that enter the body.
Our immune system uses these antibodies to tag the germ and get rid of it.
But another important part is that the immune system produces
memory cells that should recognize the germ in the future.
Now that we understand
what the immune system does, let's break it down a little bit more.
The immune system consists of two different systems.
The innate immune system is our first line of defense.
It is present from birth.
It acts quickly and can defend against many infectious agents.
It can be effective, but it's not very complex.
It doesn't always get rid of germs and it does not recognize them.
This is why infants are so vulnerable to infectious diseases.
Our second line of defense is the adaptive immune system.
It is activated when they need defenses are overcome.
It will respond differently depending on the type of germ that is infected us.
It is activated over five to ten days, and it will target a specific germ.
If you're like
me, you might be wondering, where do vaccines come in?
Well, vaccines work by pre-activating your adaptive immune system.
This is where antigens come into play.
Antigens are critical to developing vaccines.
Antigens are any foreign substance found on the surface
of the germ or toxins it makes.
It will create an immune response in the body.
The germ triggers the body to fight back.
We use antigens in vaccines, and they can be made in several ways.
Sometimes they're made using killed or weakened versions of the germ
or parts of the germ.
Sometimes we use genetic engineering to make antigens,
and sometimes we use our cells to make antigens.
Any way you slice it, we are using a controlled version of an antigen.
The whole point of vaccines is to expose your body to a molecule
that is a copy of what is found on the germ is recognizable as foreign
and creates an immune response without us getting sick from the germ.
Vaccines activate our adaptive immune response,
which will recognize and target specific germs.
This all means that our defense against
the germs will be much faster the second time
around.
Canadian children
are routinely vaccinated against several diseases.
Many provinces require that children are up to date on their vaccinations
for at least nine infectious diseases to attend public schools
throughout their childhood.
Most are vaccinated against 14 infectious diseases
Infants and children are at greater risk from vaccine preventable diseases because
their immune systems are less mature and less able to fight off infection.
Getting one of these diseases could be life threatening to an infant or a child.
Vaccinating children, starting at two months old
gives them the best protection as early as possible.
Combination vaccines have two or more antigens in the same formulation.
This approach has been used for over 50 years.
Before a combination vaccine is approved for use
studies must show that the combination vaccine is just as safe and effective
as each of the individual vaccines given separately.
Combining antigens can lead to an overall reduction in adverse reactions
and make getting vaccinated easier for children and those with needle fear.
The immune system can respond to millions of antigens at once,
so there's no evidence that a combination vaccine will overwhelm the immune system.
Babies, children and adults can get multiple vaccines at the same visit.
Most of the vaccines that protect us require at least two doses,
and many require up to four doses
in a span of about 18 months.
Take diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio
and serious diseases like meningitis, for instance.
In many provinces, children are vaccinated at two,
four, six and eighteen months with a combination vaccine
that protects them against all five of these diseases.
Children will again be boosted against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis
and polio between two and four years old and boosted
against tetanus and diphtheria again at age 14
to 16 years old. It is recommended that adults get at least one pertussis vaccine
and are boosted every ten years against tetanus and diphtheria.
What's important to remember is that vaccines are a regular part of our lives.
It just might be hard to remember because most vaccinations
occur when we're young and infrequently as adults.
Here are some more vaccines.
Children receive a combination MMRV vaccine that will protect them against measles,
mumps, rubella, and chickenpox, also called varicella.
The first dose is given at 12 months and then the second dose at 18 months.
Two doses of these vaccine give above 97% protection against these diseases.
But for diseases like measles, which is extremely infectious,
at least 95% of the population needs to be
immunized to prevent outbreaks in unvaccinated groups.
This is the reason it is very
important to make sure your child's vaccines are up to date.
It is also an important reminder that being vaccinated is only part of it.
A vaccinated population helps with public health.
We collectively create layers of protection to stop infections
for ourselves and others.
Remember, we're all in this together.
Some other important vaccines are given in grade six or seven.
Two doses of vaccines against hepatitis B
and human papillomavirus or HPV.
The HPV vaccine contains protection against nine
different strains of the virus that are known to cause cancer.
The use of this vaccine has reduced the incidence of cancer by 80%.
That's incredible.
None of these vaccines provide 100% protection against infection.
But when the vaccines are administered routinely
and you have a highly vaccinated population, the number of germs
circulating in the population is greatly reduced, and therefore the
likelihood of infection is also greatly reduced.
Many of these vaccines
need to be delivered once every few months to create a lasting immune response.
But even then, our immunity wanes against many diseases, some faster than others.
It's as simple as this vaccines work.
If your child has missed getting a vaccine dose, you do not need to start over.
Keeping your child on schedule will ensure that they are protected
as soon as possible.
But it's never too late to catch up.
Talk to your health care provider
about a catch up schedule that can get your child back on track.
The past few years have been tough on all of us.
Routine public health measures have suffered.
But you can do your part to help bolster our collective well-being.
Connect with your local public health unit
to figure out how to get back on schedule.
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