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Vaccines 101: How Vaccines Work and Why Staying Up to Date Matters

  • Mainline Pharmacy
  • 3 hours ago
  • 4 min read

Vaccines play an important role in protecting individuals, families, and communities from serious diseases. From childhood immunizations to adult booster shots, vaccines help prevent the spread of contagious illnesses and reduce the risk of severe complications. While vaccines have become common in everyday healthcare, many people still have questions about how they work, who should receive them, and why staying up to date matters.


Vaccines 101: How Vaccines Work and Why Staying Up to Date Matters

How Do Vaccines Work?

Think of your immune system like a student preparing for a difficult test. If the test covers completely new material and you have never studied before, passing could be difficult. Vaccines act like the practice homework before the big exam. They help your body recognize and prepare for a disease before you are exposed to the real thing.


A vaccine introduces your immune system to a weakened or less threatening version of a virus or bacteria. In response, your body creates antibodies that learn how to fight that infection. Those antibodies stay in your system, so if you are exposed later, your body can respond much faster and more effectively.¹


Vaccines do not guarantee that you will never get sick, but they can greatly reduce the severity of illness, lower the risk of hospitalization, and help prevent life-threatening complications. It is also important to understand that vaccines do not give you the disease they are designed to prevent. However, because the body needs time to build antibodies, a person could still become sick if they are exposed shortly before or after vaccination.¹


Why Are Vaccines Important?

Vaccines have helped dramatically reduce diseases that once caused widespread illness and death. Diseases such as polio, measles, rubella, diphtheria, and mumps are far less common today because of routine immunization efforts. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S. have declined significantly since the introduction of routine childhood vaccination.²


CDC graphic showing decline in vaccine-preventable diseases since vaccines were introduced.

Although these diseases are now uncommon in the United States, the viruses and bacteria that cause them have not disappeared completely. When vaccination rates fall, communities become more vulnerable to outbreaks and the spread of preventable illnesses.


Vaccination also helps protect vulnerable individuals who may not be able to receive certain vaccines themselves, including:³


  • Infants who are too young for vaccination

  • Pregnant individuals who cannot receive specific vaccines

  • People with weakened immune systems

  • Individuals with severe allergies to vaccine ingredients


When more people are vaccinated, it becomes harder for diseases to spread throughout communities.


Who Should Get Vaccinated?

In general, vaccines are recommended for everyone, from infancy through adulthood. Different vaccines are recommended at different stages of life based on age, health conditions, lifestyle, occupation, and travel plans.


Children receive most recommended vaccines during their early years to help protect against serious diseases and complications later in life. While newborns receive some temporary immunity from their mothers, that protection fades during the first year, making routine childhood vaccination especially important.⁴ As children grow into their teenage years, booster shots and additional vaccines, such as Tdap, meningococcal, and HPV, help continue protection against serious bacterial and viral infections.


Vaccines also remain important throughout adulthood. Annual flu vaccines, routine Tdap or Td boosters, shingles vaccines for adults over 50, and pneumococcal vaccines for older adults or those with certain health conditions all help reduce the risk of severe illness.


Stay up to date with your immunizations by speaking with your health care team or checking the CDC’s child and adolescent and adult immunization schedules for which vaccines you and your family are eligible for.⁵


When Should You Get Vaccinated?

Most vaccines are available year-round, but timing can matter for certain immunizations.

For example, in the United States, flu season typically occurs during the fall and winter months, although influenza viruses can circulate year-round. Flu activity usually peaks between December and February and can sometimes continue into May. Because of this, getting vaccinated in September or October is generally considered the ideal time to protect against the flu.⁶ Vaccinating too early may result in decreased protection later in the season, while waiting too long can leave you vulnerable before peak flu activity begins.


Travel vaccines may require additional planning. Some countries require proof of vaccination against some diseases before entry, while other travel vaccines may be recommended depending on your destination. If you are traveling internationally, it is best to plan several weeks ahead to allow enough time for vaccines to become fully effective.


Protect Yourself and Your Community

Vaccines continue to be one of the safest and most effective tools available to prevent serious disease. Staying current on recommended immunizations helps protect not only your own health, but also the health of those around you.


Whether you need a yearly flu shot, a routine booster, or guidance on recommended vaccines for your age and lifestyle, staying informed is an important step toward lifelong wellness. Not sure which vaccines are right for you? Talk with your health care provider.

 

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