Everything about Vaccines made simple: What you need to know!

When you go to give your little one a shot, you feel a little scared and curious, don't you? What exactly happens to that little drop of liquid that's injected with a needle? Why are these things so important to our children, and to us? Sometimes we get scared when we hear all the talk about vaccines. So, today we're going to talk about all this in a way that you can understand, very simply and in a friendly way. Just like you're talking to a friend.

What is a vaccine, simply put?

Simply put, a vaccine is a training for our body's defense system, the immune system. Think of our body as a country. This country has an army to protect it. That is our immune system. When enemies from outside, that is, pathogens that make us sick - things like viruses and bacteria - enter this country, our army fights them and protects us.

What a vaccine does is teach our troops to recognize these enemies before the real battle. It's like training an army with enemy models. So when the real germ enters the body, our immune system is already prepared, so it quickly defeats that enemy before it even causes illness.

The difference between vaccination and immunization

Although these two words sound the same, there is a slight difference.

• Vaccination is the process of giving you a vaccine (such as an injection or oral drops).
• Immunization is the process by which a vaccine builds up a defense against the disease within your body.

That means, vaccination is like going to class, and immunity is like learning the lesson from that class.

How do vaccines work inside our bodies?

This is a very interesting process. Let's see how this happens.

Identifying a germ for the first time (Primary Immune Response)

When a new germ (virus or bacteria) that we've never seen before enters our bodies, it takes our immune system a while to first recognize it. It's like a stranger coming into the house.

1. First, a special type of cell in our "army", B-cells , examines this invader.

2. These B-cells, like a turtle that fits a key, start making a special type of protein that fits that particular germ. We call these antibodies .

3. These antibodies attach to germs, inactivate them, and signal other defense cells to destroy them.

This whole process takes several days, so we get sick and feel sick during that time. But after this fight is over, our immune system does something very important. It creates a "Wanted Poster" of the invader, a memory. This is done by memory cells .

If the germ comes a second time (Secondary Immune Response)

Now imagine that the same germ that came before entered our bodies again one day. This time our army would not be the same as before. The memory cells that hold that "Wanted Poster" would recognize the enemy the moment they saw it.

This second response is so fast that the germ doesn't even have time to spread inside the body and make us sick. That's why we don't easily get the same disease twice.

What a vaccine does is, without making us sick, it artificially creates that first response (Primary Immune Response) and creates those memory cells. Then, when the real disease-causing germ comes, our body is ready to face it.

What types of vaccines are there?

There are various ways to train our immune system against germs. Accordingly, vaccines are divided into several types. Let's understand these in simple terms.

What's inside a vaccine?

A vaccine doesn't just contain a piece of the germ. It also contains several other things to make it work properly and keep it safe.

• Antigen : This is the main thing. It is the weakened/inactivated germ or part of it that causes immunity.
• Adjuvants: These are substances added to enhance the immune system's response. This allows for greater protection with fewer doses of vaccine. Aluminum salts are a commonly used adjuvant.
• Preservatives: These are added to prevent the introduction of germs when multiple people are vaccinated from the same vial.
• Stabilizers: These help to maintain the quality of the vaccine during production and storage. Substances such as gelatin are used for this.

Who should get vaccinated? How is it given?

In general, it's important for everyone to get vaccinated. Especially:

• During infancy and early childhood: Since children's immunity is weak during this period, it is mandatory to be vaccinated according to the national vaccination schedule to protect against dangerous diseases.
• "Booster" doses: The protection provided by some vaccines wanes over time, so booster doses are needed to boost that protection again.
• Seasonal vaccinations: For example, you can get a yearly vaccine to protect against the influenza virus, which changes every year.
• As you age: People over the age of 50 are at higher risk of developing certain diseases (e.g., shingles), so there are recommended vaccines for that.
• When traveling abroad: In some countries, you may need to get vaccinated before traveling to protect yourself from common diseases.

Important: If your immune system is weakened (e.g., someone undergoing cancer treatment) or if you are pregnant, some vaccines (especially live vaccines) may not be suitable for you. Therefore, it is essential to talk to your doctor before receiving any vaccine.

Methods of administering vaccines

• As an injection: Most injections are given intramuscularly or subcutaneously.
• As an oral liquid: Some vaccines, like the polio vaccine, are given as oral drops.
• By nasal spray: Some influenza vaccines are available as a nasal spray.

What are the real benefits of vaccination?

The benefits of getting vaccinated are not limited to yourself. It is a service to the entire society.

1. Protecting yourself: The first and most important thing is to protect yourself from diseases that can be fatal or cause severe complications.

2. Protecting others: There are people in society who cannot get vaccinated. For example, newborn babies, patients with very weak immunity. When we get vaccinated, the spread of the disease stops, and those helpless people also get indirect protection. This is called Herd Immunity .

3. Reduces hospitalizations: Hospitals can become overwhelmed if an epidemic spreads. When vaccination reduces the number of people who become seriously ill, the pressure on the health system is reduced.

4. Eradicating diseases: When enough people are vaccinated, there is no one to spread the disease, and the disease can be eradicated from the world. Vaccination was the first to eradicate the deadly disease smallpox .

Fears and misconceptions about vaccines

There are some misconceptions about vaccines circulating in society. Let's find out the truth about that too.

• "Vaccines cause side effects, right?"

Like any medicine, vaccines can have minor side effects. It's normal to experience some redness, swelling, soreness, and a slight fever at the injection site . These are not necessarily bad, but a sign that your immune system is starting to work! These will go away completely in a day or two. Very rarely, severe allergic reactions can occur. But that's about one in a million.

• "Is it true that vaccines cause autism?"

No. This is completely false. This story started with a fake research report published years ago. It was later proven scientifically incorrect and retracted from the journal that published it. Since then, large studies involving thousands of children around the world have repeatedly confirmed that there is no link between vaccines and autism.

• "Do vaccines change our DNA?"

Absolutely not. Nothing in a vaccine can interact with or change the DNA inside the nucleus of our cells. In particular, the "recipe" in mRNA vaccines stays inside the cell for a few days and then naturally breaks down.

• "I got sick even after getting the vaccine. So it's useless, right?"

Sometimes that can happen. There are several reasons for that. No vaccine is 100% effective. But even if someone who gets the vaccine does get sick, it will be a very mild, flu-like illness and they will recover quickly. The risk of serious complications, hospitalization, or death is greatly reduced. That is the true value of the vaccine.