Benefits of Vaccines & Boosters
Disease prevention is the key to public health. It is always better to prevent a disease than to treat it. Vaccines prevent disease in the people who receive them and protect those who come into contact with an unvaccinated individual. Once scientists have identified the microorganism or toxin that causes an illness, they pursue a number of approaches to develop a vaccine. All approaches to vaccine development focus on the immune system and the body’s natural defenses against foreign invaders. The immune system is made up of highly specialized cells which work together to make antibodies and clear infection from the body. The purpose of a vaccine is to educate a person’s immune system so that it is ready to fight disease. Vaccines are second only to hygiene in preventing infection, and new or improved vaccines should be made and studied.
