Index
- What are vaccines?
- What are they used for?
- How are they administered?
- Preparing for vaccines
- Aftercare
What are vaccines?
As such, vaccines are a series of biological products composed of a set of inactivated or attenuated microorganisms that are administered in order to prevent infectious diseases in those who are susceptible.
There are different types of vaccines and each of them is designed to teach the immune system how to combat certain threats and germs. In other words, they stimulate the body’s natural defenses, making it faster and more effective in preventing disease.
Once the vaccine is introduced into the body, they recreate the disease without actually producing the infection, encouraging the immune system to develop defenses that act against the infectious microorganism.
What are they used for?
Vaccines are mainly used to protect individuals and sometimes an entire community from certain infections, some of which are very frequent and serious and can even be disabling or fatal.
Many diseases are very rare today thanks to vaccines. In fact, vaccines save between 2 and 3 million lives every year. In other words, they are fundamental tools to protect us as a society. If a large number of people have been vaccinated and are immunized against a given disease, what is known as “herd immunity” can be achieved, which prevents outbreaks and the spread of the disease.
The vaccine is introduced into the body through an injection.
How are they administered?
The vaccine is introduced into the body through an injection, recreating the disease without actually causing infection.
Normally a vaccination schedule is followed, which consists of a sequence of administration to immunize a person against various diseases in a short period of time. Thanks to this schedule, it is possible to know exactly at what time in life vaccines should be administered. Most products are provided in infancy.
Preparing for vaccinations
Vaccination does not require any special preparation on the part of the patient. It does, however, require the practitioner to be familiar with the patient’s medical history, diet and medications.
Care after a vaccination
Once vaccinated, there are a series of precautions to be taken, such as covering the puncture site with absorbent cotton, pressing gently for one minute and staying at least half an hour in the waiting room in case there is any kind of reaction.
At the same time, there may be adverse effects, such as fever, pain or swelling in the area. However, all vaccines undergo stringent safety testing before they are approved for public use.