What is a Vaccination and Why is it Important?

Some diseases which are caused by viruses, such as cholera, will make you ill only once.
How does your body stop you from having some diseases more than once?
The first time you have the virus, your body will take some time to make antibodies against it.
That is why you are ill for a while.
As soon as the antibodies start working, you begin to feel better.
Once you are better, your body is repeatedly able to make the antibodies for that particular virus.
If the virus enters your body again, your body can make antibodies much more quickly than the first time.

The antibodies defeat the virus without your knowing about it.

You are now immune to that virus, which means that your body can protect itself against this disease in the future.

Changing viruses

Some viruses can’t be kept out so easily. They keep changing their form. The antibody produced against the original form won’t recognize the new form. Thus your body needs extra time to develop a new antibody for each form.
The viruses that cause the common cold and influenza keep changing like this, so we have these illnesses again and again.
The virus that causes AIDS can also change its form.

Special protection from disease

Doctors have a way of helping our bodies to fight against some diseases.

This is done by giving people vaccinations.

When you have a vaccination against cholera, a tiny amount of the cholera virus, which has been specially treated, is injected into your body through a needle.
Your body then makes antibodies to fight the virus.
So when the cholera virus tries to attack your body, you are immune to the disease that it causes.

Vaccinations are a major part of the worldwide fight against diseases, such as cholera, tuberculosis, and polio.
Smallpox, the first disease for which a vaccine was used, has almost completely disappeared.
But for some diseases, such as AIDS and the common cold, doctors still haven’t found a vaccine.