Vaccines are a critical element of primary prevention and protection against infection and illnesses. They work by “teaching” the immune system to recognize and eliminate pathogens so that our bodies are prepared to fight off infection if we are exposed and we avoid serious illness and spreading infection to others.
Through its VacciNATION efforts, the Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease is working to ensure that individuals can get the latest information about vaccines for a number of preventable illnesses.
Vaccines have conquered disease over time
Wide use of vaccines has helped us virtually eliminate many diseases, such as whooping cough, polio, measles and rubella among others. Before vaccines, many of these diseases caused serious illness, disability and death, particularly among the young and the elderly. Though much less common in the U.S. today, keeping these diseases at bay requires continued or consistently high vaccination rates.
Vaccines made available to the public are safe and effective
Vaccine use is widespread around the world, and people have been getting vaccinated against deadly diseases for more than 200 years – since the world’s first vaccine was developed against smallpox. In order to generate enough scientific data to meet the FDA’s strict requirements for safety and effectiveness, vaccines are evaluated in clinical trials with thousands of study participants. Experts agree that we can feel confident that all vaccines have met the United States’ extremely high standards for quality and safety, and continue to be monitored after approval.
Vaccines protect infants to older adults
The CDC’s recommended immunization schedule
takes into account how the immune system responds
to vaccines at various stages of life. Vaccinations start
soon after birth to provide the best long-term protection.
Additional vaccines given throughout childhood, for
teenagers and adults of all ages are important because
immunity from childhood vaccines could wear off over
time, making it harder to fight off infection.
People of all ages can also benefit from vaccine protection against seasonal viruses including
influenza and coronavirus, where the strains circulating
may vary year to year. Also, vaccines are available for
older adults to protect against pneumonia, shingles,
RSV and other infectious illnesses. Talk to a health
care provider about the recommended schedule for you.
Safe and effective vaccines are a critical step forward to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our communities by preventing the spread of illnesses.
We want to hear from you about vaccines:
