Modern medicine continues to make strides in reducing deadly disease across the globe. Doctors and scientists devote thousands of hours every year to research and develop vaccinations to prevent critical conditions. Ailments like polio, smallpox, and hepatitis can all be prevented using vaccines to provide immunity. Without these vaccines, the human population could be devastated by widespread disease. We see the effects of an unchecked virus with our current struggles against SARS-CoV-2, also more widely known as the novel coronavirus or COVID-19. With time and research, we can combat these diseases with vaccines to ensure global health and wellbeing.
What is a vaccine?
A vaccine is a medical product that stimulates your immune system to provide immunity against a disease. They are ailment-specific, meaning each different disease requires a separate vaccine. Vaccines are typically injected intravenously but can be administered in several different ways. Once vaccinated, a person develops immunity to that specific disease even if that person has been exposed to it. Most are administered through a series of injections over the course of a person’s childhood and into adulthood, as they become most vulnerable to each disease.
Throughout the course of medical history, humans have developed vaccines to prevent hundreds of diseases, viruses, and other ailments. Here are just a few examples of diseases that can be prevented through vaccination:
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Diphteria
Tetanus
Whooping Cough (pertussis)
Polio
Rotavirus
Measles
Rubella
Chickenpox (Varicella)
Human Papillomavirus
Influenza (Flu)
These diseases can and have caused widespread damage to the human population throughout history. It is because of this that vaccines have been developed to eradicate them, and now most are almost unheard of in modern society. Doctors have been providing the public with access to these potentially life-saving methods of prevention while educating them on why they should vaccinate themselves and their children.
Why should I vaccinate?
Most of the diseases that can be prevented by vaccination are becoming increasingly rare as we make more advances in modern medicine. While rare, these diseases can still make a comeback if vaccination procedures become lax. Until they can be eliminated completely, it is especially important to continue vaccinations. If we stopped, all the progress that has been made to eliminate these diseases can be unraveled. These preventable diseases would spread across the population and result in an epidemic, or worse.
There are vaccines we created that are no longer in use today because they worked when applied to a wide swath of the population. Until we can get to that point with other deadly illnesses, we must continue to protect ourselves, our children, and our future.
At Roger’s Family Pharmacy, we know that prevention is key to maintaining overall health and wellness. While we currently do not offer vaccines or immunizations, we certainly suggest consulting with your primary care physician about your personal health and vaccines. Do your part to help keep everyone safe and vaccinate!
Click here to visit the United States Center for Disease Control’s website for more information regarding vaccinations and immunizations. You may also consult your local pharmacist at Roger’s Family Pharmacy at (601) 582-8351 for additional information.