Learn about vaccines without fear: All your questions are answered here!

Some mothers and fathers feel a little scared and nervous when they hear that their little child needs to be vaccinated. "Oh, doctor, this won't hurt anything, will it? Will he get a little fever? Will he stop breastfeeding?" These are probably questions you have in mind too. It's very normal. So today, let's talk about these vaccines to clear up any concerns you may have.

Simply put, what is this vaccine?

Think of our body as a well-protected country. The enemies that come from outside to attack this country are germs, that is, viruses, bacteria, etc. In medicine, we call these pathogens . When these enemies enter the body, we get sick.

A vaccine is a training that trains our body's 'defense forces' (i.e. , the immune system ) to recognize these enemies before they actually come and cause major damage to our country (body). It's like a military drill.

How does a vaccine work inside the body?

This is a very interesting process. Let's see how it works.

1. Primary Immune Response: When we first encounter a new germ, our immune system gets a little nervous. It takes a while to recognize the enemy and make the right 'weapons' (we call these antibodies ) to destroy it. During this time, we get sick with illnesses like the flu and cold.

2. Training and memory: A vaccine is a way of training our army by injecting a weakened or killed version of the enemy, or a very small part of it , into the body. This training teaches our immune system to make the antibodies it needs to fight that enemy. It also creates a special type of cell called 'memory cells' that remembers that enemy. These cells are like having a 'Wanted' poster of the enemy.

3. Secondary Immune Response: Now imagine that after receiving a vaccine, one day that real, real enemy (the germ) enters your body. Then something amazing happens! The 'memory cells' in our body recognize it as soon as they see it, thinking, "Ah... this is a familiar enemy," and, as usual, they quickly produce a large number of those 'weapons' (Antibodies) and destroy the enemy. We don't even have time to get sick.

There are several types of vaccines, right?

Yes, although the goal is the same, there are several ways to make vaccines. Each type trains our immune system with slight variations.

What exactly does a vaccine contain? Are these safe?

One thing that scares many people is the other ingredients in a vaccine. You've probably heard stories like "This has mercury in it, this has cocaine in it, this has this in it." Let's take a look at what's really in it.

• Antigen: This is the weakened/killed germ or part of it that we talked about earlier. It is this that creates immunity.
• Adjuvants: These are used to increase the effectiveness of the vaccine. That is, to stimulate the immune system. Aluminum salts are an example of this. They are found in the water we drink and in some medicines.
• Preservatives: These are used to prevent germs from entering the vaccine when multiple people are being vaccinated from the same vial. Most vaccines are single-dose and do not contain these.
• Stabilizers: These help to keep the quality of the vaccine stable during production and storage. Gelatin is one such ingredient.

Who should get vaccinated and why?

The simple answer is, everyone who can should get vaccinated . There are several reasons for that.

1. To protect yourself: Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself from serious complications, long-term disabilities, and death from infectious diseases.

2. To protect others: This is something that many people don't think about. There are people in society who cannot get vaccinated. For example, babies who are a few months old, people who have weakened immune systems due to diseases like cancer. When we get vaccinated, the spread of the disease stops. It also provides protection to those vulnerable people. We call this 'Herd Immunity' .

3. To protect the hospital system: When a disease spreads like an epidemic, hospitals become overwhelmed. This makes it difficult for people with other diseases to get treatment. Vaccination can prevent that situation.

4. To eliminate diseases: If everyone in the world gets vaccinated, some diseases can be eliminated from the world. The deadly disease smallpox was eliminated from the world because of vaccination.

Are there really any risks from vaccines?

Like any medicine, vaccinations can cause very minor side effects.

• Minor side effects: Pain, redness, swelling, a slight fever, and body aches at the injection site usually go away within a day or two. This is actually a sign that your immune system is starting to work.
• Serious side effects: These are very rare . For example, severe allergic reactions or conditions involving the nervous system such as Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). But remember, the chances of something like this happening are thousands of times less than the chances of getting sick and being seriously ill without getting the vaccine.

Frequently asked questions and myths

1. Do vaccines cause autism?

Absolutely not. This is the biggest myth. This story, which came from a very small, flawed study done years ago, has since been proven completely wrong by large studies involving hundreds of thousands of people around the world. So don't be afraid of it at all.

2. Do vaccines change our DNA?

No. The substances in a vaccine do not bind to the nucleus or DNA of our cells in any way. They are eliminated from the body within a few days.

3. I got the vaccine but I still got sick. So is the vaccine useless?

Don't think so. Sometimes you can get sick even after getting vaccinated, but the vaccine greatly reduces the severity of the disease and the complications . That means instead of you getting pneumonia, having trouble breathing, and having to go to the ETU (Emergency Treatment Unit) , you can get a low fever and be fine in a couple of days. That means the vaccine saved you a lot of trouble.

4. What should I do before and after my child receives a vaccine?

Your doctor or midwife will advise you on this. It is generally important that your child is healthy before the vaccination. If there is a slight fever after the vaccination, give the correct dose of paracetamol as prescribed by the doctor. If your child is behaving abnormally or has a high fever, seek medical advice immediately.

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