VACCINE RESOURCE COMMITTEE
of the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association
View Full List of Vaccine Questions Here
General Vaccine Question #11:
Do healthy people need vaccines?
Even healthy people can get very sick or die from diseases that can be prevented by vaccines; this can be unpredictable. Getting vaccinated also protects more vulnerable people through herd immunity.
The immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues and organs in bodies that work together to help prevent diseases and keep people healthy. The immune system responds to things it considers unfamiliar or harmful, such as bacteria and viruses that can cause diseases. Through a series of steps called the immune response, bodies produce antibodies and immune memory cells to fight the infection and provide protection against future infections (immunity).
Antibodies are proteins that attach to harmful bacteria or viruses and help to remove them from the body. If there is an encounter with that specific virus or bacterium again, immune memory cells quickly produce more antibodies to help remove it from the body before getting really sick.
Vaccination is preventative to keep people safe and healthy from serious and life-threatening diseases. The best way to protect people is by getting all recommended vaccines on time. Vaccines are tools that work with the body's natural defences (the immune system) to develop protection against diseases without the risks that come from getting the diseases.
Vaccination is considered one of the most important public health measures. Over the past 50 years, vaccination has saved many lives in Canada and around the world. Some diseases that were once common in Canada are now rare because of vaccines. Vaccines can even completely stop an infectious disease from occurring anywhere in the world. For example, there hasn't been a single case of naturally occurring smallpox in the entire world since 1977, thanks to vaccination.
Some vaccines can help to create community immunity (also known as herd immunity). This means that the more people who have been vaccinated against a disease, the less chance there is of the disease spreading in a community. This helps protect people who can't be vaccinated due to underlying conditions. It also helps protect those for whom the vaccine may not work as well, such as infants, older adults and people who are immunocompromised.
People who are immunocompromised have a weakened immune system due to a health condition or medications they take. They may not be able to receive certain vaccines, and the vaccines that they do receive may not work as well. These people are at higher risk of getting vaccine-preventable diseases and becoming very ill. Getting vaccinated and staying up to date with your vaccines helps protect people who are immunocompromised from vaccine-preventable diseases.