NO. Natural infection from some diseases can kill or seriously harm a child before their immune system is able to fight it off.
The vaccine triggers your own body's natural immune response into action to protect you against the disease — without exposing you to the risks that the disease itself. It's like a dress rehearsal for your immune system so it is prepared for the 'real show': an attack by the actual disease.
One reason some people think it might be better to develop an immunity by contracting the disease is they don't understand the dangers these diseases pose. Because of widespread vaccination, we no longer remember the deadly toll taken by diseases from polio to meningococcal infection. But these diseases can lead to debilitating illness, permanent disability or death... and that's a risk no parent would want their child to take.
It's just like: Wasp stings, venomous snakes, poison ivy, rabid animals — there's plenty out there in the natural world that we protect our children from. Diseases are no different.
NO. The diseases were just as prevalent until widespread immunization began. What was changing was the death rate from some of these infections.
That shouldn't be a big surprise; we know that improvements in social and economic conditions mean a general improvement in health. And thanks to cleaner drinking water and generally higher standards of living, even though just as many people were getting sick, more of them were recovering (or at least not dying).
But once immunization started, the number of infections dropped sharply — as did the severity of the illnesses of those who did get those diseases.
Did you know? Until recently, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) was a leading cause of meningitis, epiglottitis and other invasive infections in children, affecting about one child in 250 by five years of age.
No. These diseases are still around, waiting for an opportunity. Some are just a plane ride away. And if we stop immunizing, they will come back.
Did you know? People in Ireland became concerned because of unfounded reports of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Immunization rates fell sharply in 2000 — and the number of measles cases soared from 148 cases in 1999 to 1,200 in 2000. Several children died in the outbreak.
Immunization has been so effective in fighting diseases that many of us have developed a false sense of security... and we've forgotten the damage these diseases can do. But the simple fact is this: when enough people stop immunizing, there is more disease and children die.
Yes. Vaccinations make it much less likely that you'll get sick – and what's more, they help keep the community healthier, too.
Everyone who is unvaccinated is vulnerable to disease. But if you've been vaccinated, your chances of fighting off an infection are much greater.
In fact, only a small percentage of vaccinated people are at risk from disease – and chances are, even if they do get the disease, it won't be as severe as it would if they hadn't had the vaccine. So if a child who has had the chickenpox vaccine gets chickenpox, they'll get a much milder form of the disease and won't be as sick.
Did you know: A single dose of measles vaccine given to babies at 12 or 15 months of age will keep between 85% and 90% of them free of the disease. Add a second dose, and nearly 100% of those children are protected.
But the benefit doesn't end there. If enough people in a community are vaccinated, it means a disease can't infect enough people to gain a foothold — which means more protection for everyone. (This is something that scientists call herd immunity, because they noticed it first on farms, where groups of animals live close together and diseases can quickly them out.)
So that means it's doubly important to get immunized: not just to protect yourself, your children and your family, but to help protect the whole community.
No. A healthy lifestyle will help maintain overall health and support your immune system. But lifestyle choices alone can't stop you or your child from getting a vaccine-preventable disease.
Even the healthiest of people die from diseases that are preventable through vaccination.
That doesn't mean exercise and a balanced diet aren't important — far from it. But an infection such as measles or whooping cough (pertussis) can also kill healthy, well-nourished children. Malnutrition was not a contributing factor in the deaths of any of the children who died of pertussis in the United States in the 1990s.
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