The benefits of vaccines not just stop at preventing certain diseases. However, it can also prevent transmission to other people. Not only viral infections, diseases caused by bacteria can also be prevented by vaccines. Many diseases can be prevented with vaccines for the health of children and families. Vaccines and immunizations are one way to prevent a number of diseases.
However, the benefits of vaccines are not just preventing disease. Check out the full review below.
Health benefits of vaccines
You are certainly familiar with the term vaccine. Moreover, during the Covid-19 pandemic, vaccines are said to be one way out of this pandemic. The Vaccine is a substance that is injected into the body, which can help the body form certain antibodies to fight disease. Normally, every vaccine-preventable disease requires a different vaccine. Not only preventing disease, there are several other benefits of vaccines. The health benefits of vaccines include:
1. Prevent disease
As you already know, the main benefit of vaccines is to prevent disease. In a natural mechanism, the human body will react to create antibodies when a foreign substance enters the body to protect it. This concept is how vaccines work.
Vaccines are made from viral or bacterial components that have been weakened or inactivated so that they are no longer harmful or sick to the human body. This component will later stimulate the formation of the immune system, as if you really had a viral or bacterial infection.
When the vaccine is injected, the body will begin to identify it as a foreign substance so that it then forms an immune system to fight it. This immunity is then “remembered” by the immune system. Thus, when stricken with a certain infection, the body already has antibodies to fight it.
2. Prevent disease severity
Already vaccinated does not guarantee you are 100% protected from the disease. However, the severity you experience is very likely to be significantly reduced, compared to not being vaccinated.
The latest example, this has been proven with the Covid-19 vaccine. The increase in the number of Covid-19 vaccines is in line with the decrease in the number of people entering the hospital or having severe symptoms when infected with SARS-CoV-2. This means that the symptoms you feel may not be too severe to require hospitalization.
3. Preventing disease transmission to others
Not everyone can get vaccinated, for example, people with comorbid diseases. However, the benefits of vaccines can still protect people who cannot be vaccinated.
When many people vaccinate, a community immunity will be created, or herd immunity. This is what makes people who cannot be vaccinated also protected. The reason is, the more people who are vaccinated, the more difficult it will be for the virus to survive because most people are already immune. That way, the chances of the virus infecting people who can’t be vaccinated are getting smaller. Disease transmission can also be suppressed so that it does not continue to spread.
List of vaccine preventable diseases
Every disease that can be prevented by immunization requires a different vaccine. So you can’t rely on one vaccine for every disease.
The following is a list of diseases that can be prevented by vaccines:
1. Measles
Measles is a disease caused by infection with a virus from the paramixovirus group through the air. On average 90% of humans do not yet have immunity to this highly contagious measles virus.
This vaccine-preventable disease can cause pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, and lead to death.
Usually, measles is given at the same time as the vaccine for mumps and German measles (rubella). This vaccine is known as the MMR vaccine.
2. Whooping cough (pertussis)
Whooping cough is a bacterial infection of the lungs and respiratory tract that is easily contagious. In young infants less than 1 year old, pertussis can lead to pneumonia, seizures, breathing problems, and other serious complications. To do DPT vaccinated on a regular basis can prevent contracting pertussis.
3. Flu
Influenza Vaccine can minimize the chance of your baby contracting the flu. Although it seems trivial, flu can worsen asthma and diabetes, and cause death in severe cases of flu. With vaccines, the risk of flu is effectively reduced by 40-60%.
4. Polio
Before polio vaccine found, polio is one of the most common diseases in the world and kills up to thousands of people every year. The polio virus lives in the human digestive system and can be transmitted through water or direct contact.
Symptoms of polio that are almost similar to the flu can result in brain infection, paralysis, and even death. Although not completely eradicated, cases of this disease have drastically reduced since the discovery of the polio vaccine.
5. Pneumonia
Pneumococcal virus can cause lung infections, ear and blood infections, and meningitis. Complications from this virus can be dangerous, especially for seniors over the age of 65. To prevent this, it is recommended that you do pneumonia vaccine. There are several types of pneumonia vaccines, one of which is PVC. The PVC vaccine is up to 99% effective in preventing this disease in fully immunized children.
6. Tetanus
Tetanus complications such as stiff jaw muscles, breathing problems, muscle spasms, paralysis, and even death can all be prevented with the right vaccine. With a mortality rate of up to 10-20% in cases, tetanus is now becoming increasingly rare and is categorized as a vaccine-preventable disease. In the complete list of basic immunizations for children, the tetanus vaccine is generally given together with the vaccines for diphtheria and pertussis via: DPT immunization.
7. Meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain)
Infection of the meninges (protective membranes) that cover the brain and spinal cord can cause death in up to 15% of cases. Apart from being given meningitis vaccine, proper diagnosis and treatment is the key to preventing death from this disease.
8. TB
TB or tuberculosis is a bacterial infection disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The BCG vaccine is known to help prevent children from getting TB.
9. Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B virus is highly contagious. Transmission is 100 times easier than the HIV virus. As a cause of liver disease, including liver cancer, this virus can be passed from pregnant women to their babies. Therefore, Hepatitis B vaccine, including one of the recommended vaccines within 24 hours of birth.
10. Mumps
Mumps is characterized by swelling of the salivary glands which can lead to meningitis and deafness. Thanks to the MMR vaccine, mumps can now be prevented and the number of cases has decreased dramatically, especially in the United States.
11. HIB (Haemophilus Influenzae Type B)
The HIB virus often afflicts infants and children because their immune system is still weak. With the HIB vaccine, complications such as pneumonia, meningitis, and infections of the blood, bones, and joints can be effectively prevented.
12. Covid-19
Covid-19 was first discovered in 2019 in Wuhan, China. Soon in 2020, the disease will become a pandemic. One way out of the pandemic is to create herd immunity. To get community immunity, vaccines are one of them.
Until now, you need an injection Covid-19 vaccine as many as two doses of the various types of vaccines available. A booster dose is also provided for those who want to strengthen their immune system. Thanks to advances in healthcare, more and more diseases can be prevented by vaccines. Avoid unfounded anti-vaccine invitations and immediately get an immunization schedule according to the recommendations.
