Protecting a Community: The Significance of Vaccination

Vaccines help protect us from dangerous viruses and bacteria and have changed the trajectory of human life. Before vaccines, millions of people, many of whom were children, died from infectious diseases like polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, and measles. Once vaccines were developed and widely distributed, the rates of these diseases declined and are now mostly unseen (and their devastating effects widely forgotten) in the United States.

Though U.S. cases are low, deadly diseases, with the exception of smallpox, are not eradicated. Globally, 1.5 million people die each year from vaccine-preventable disease, and in our increasingly interconnected world, continued vaccination keeps outbreaks in other countries from spreading again within our country.

Notably, when a majority of a population gains immunity to an infectious disease, it provides indirect protection, or herd immunity, to those who cannot receive a vaccine, like infants and young children or those who are immunocompromised, such as cancer patients.

While vaccination may seem like a personal choice, in order to achieve herd immunity, 75% to 90% of the population (depending on the contagiousness of the infection) need immunity to limit population-level effects and in its simplest form, it becomes a statistical need for individuals who can get a vaccine (though they may not be at high risk of illness).

Some viruses, such as influenza and likely COVID-19, mutate over time, so antibodies from a previous vaccination or infection provide protection for only a short period of time or until variants emerge. Booster vaccinations may become necessary if variants begin to evade the immune response provoked by current vaccines.

Different types of vaccines are available, like mRNA or viral-vector, and may be administered in a variety of ways including injection, oral or nasal. Regardless of the type of vaccine or the way it was administered, every vaccine works by teaching our bodies to recognize a pathogen (a disease causing bacteria or virus) and launch our immune system defense before the pathogen can do damage. As a result, vaccines are highly effective at preventing serious illness related to infection. Booster vaccines work in a similar fashion to initial vaccines and are given to strengthen our immune response or provide the “blueprint” to any new variants.

Each fall kicks off the start of “cold and flu” season, mostly as a result of people spending an increasing amount of time indoors and in close contact with others. It’s a great time, if you are able, to receive the recommended vaccines and/ or boosters and help protect yourself, your family and your community.