What is vaccination, and how was it discovered?
Vaccination is the process of administering a vaccine that prepares a person’s body to fight diseases. It helps the body protect itself from harmful diseases. Vaccinations were discovered by Dr. Edward Jenner in 1796. He discovered that people who got a disease called cowpox (a milder version of smallpox) did not get smallpox.
How does our immune system work?
Our body contains millions of white blood cells. These produce antibodies, which help the body fight harmful diseases by sticking to them. The body is doing a lot of work when it is making antibodies, that is why we get fever, cough, etc. when we are sick.
Antibodies remain in our blood even after the disease has been removed from our body. Some white blood cells remember how they fought the disease for a long time. If the disease tries to enter our body again, white blood cells fight the disease without us even finding out about it.
How do vaccines work, and why are they important?
Vaccines usually contain very weak or dead disease causing cells, which are not harmful to the body. When these enter the body, our body is tricked into producing antibodies to fight them off. Because of these antibodies, our body is easily able to fight the actual disease when it tries to enter our body.
Vaccinations keep harmful diseases under control and keep people healthy and safe. All of us should get vaccinated to keep ourselves and people around us safe from disease.
