Are immunizations that important?
Well, let’s see. Before immunizations were around, and even today in many countries around the world, people were dying of smallpox and polio… diseases we only know now by the sad memories our eldest have of them. In fact, many of the childhood diseases that, thanks to preventive vaccinations, are now only nuisances were once the gravest events in the life of a child less than a hundred years ago. Vaccines have eradicated smallpox, eliminated wild poliovirus in the U.S. and significantly reduced the number of cases of measles, diphtheria, rubella, pertussis and other diseases. But despite these efforts, today tens of thousands of people in the U.S. still die from these and other vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccines offer safe and effective protection from infectious diseases. By staying up-to-date on the recommended vaccines, individuals can protect themselves, their families, friends and communities from serious, life-threatening infections. How do vaccines work? Vaccines work by te