immunizations
Safety & Prevention
Immunizations are based on the principle that it is better to prevent a person from contracting a disease than it is to have to treat it after said person becomes ill. Thanks to immunization, diseases like measles, whooping cough, mumps, polio, rubella, tetanus, and rotavirus are now completely preventable. These are diseases that were once worldwide problems and are now incredibly rare. Because of immunizations, smallpox has been completely eradicated from the population. Vaccines have managed to save millions of lives over several decades.
How Vaccines Work
The immune system is comprised of various cells, organs, and fluids in the body that are designed to fight off germs through the production of special proteins known as antibodies. Immunity is simply the body’s protection system against diseases.
When someone is first infected with a specific germ, also referred to as antigens or “foreign invaders”, their immune system produces special antibodies designed to fight that specific germ. However, it takes time for the body to create the right type of antibody, meaning the person still contracts the disease and becomes ill. Vaccines serve to offer your immune system the antibodies it needs without risking illness or death by contracting the disease. Different immunizations last for different periods of time. You get a flu shot every year, while you only get a vaccine for whopping cough every ten years or so.
Once the antibody has been created, the body remembers it. It is almost as if it stores the blueprint for the antibody and has the ability to call upon that blueprint any time it recognizes the same antigen. If the antigen in question infects the body again, even if it occurs many years later, the body is able to produce the proper antibody, effectively halting the antigen from manifesting as the disease.
Vaccines offer a way of ensuring you gain the immunity needed without ever having to become ill. Vaccines contain the very same antigens as the disease but have been weakened or are dead so they are unable to create the disease itself. These antigens are still sufficiently powerful and cause the body to create the antibodies required to fight off the antigen.
Because immunization involves introducing antigens into the body, no matter how weak they are, it is not a good idea to “overload” your child’s immune system. This is why there is a standard schedule for special immunization for children, helping to introduce the elements over a period of time as their bodies grow stronger and fight off the disease.
Have A Long, Healthy Life with Proper Immunization
Immunization has made once-common diseases ineffective within the world’s population.
Immunizations For Children & Adults
We offer a wide range of immunizations for both children and adults. For adults, we also offer travel immunizations which are often recommended when journeying to areas where there is a risk of contracting a foreign disease. Our pediatricians follow an immunization schedule for your child or newborn to ensure they receive the protection necessary to maintain a long, happy and healthy life.