A GUIDE FOR NEW IMMIGRANTS IN AMERICA

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What You Need To Know About Immunization (Vaccination)

The role of vaccines in lowering the risks of many diseases is remarkable. Immunization is a process by which resistance to an infectious disease is induced or augmented. It is therefore recommended for infants, children, adolescents and adults to have the appropriate vaccines.
Many vaccine-preventable diseases are now rare because of routine childhood immunization. Ongoing immunization is required for the continuous control and elimination of these diseases. Smallpox is an example of a disease that has been eradicated due to immunization. The numbers of cases of diseases like measles, mumps, pertusis, paralytic polio, tetanus and many more have diminished significantly due to immunization.
Immunity may be acquired actively or passively. A newborn baby has passive immunity from his or her mother lasting for about one year. Someone bitten by a rabid animal is given rabies immune globulin (antibody), another example of passive immunity. Examples of active immunity are influenza vaccine or Tetanus vaccine, where the individual "actively" produces antibodies against the disease-causing agent. Someone bitten by a rabid animal is also given rabies vaccine. This is a classic example of both passive and active immunity.
Vaccines could also be 'live" of "killed". A good example illustrating the differences between the two types is the influenza vaccine. The inactivated Flu-vaccine derived from killed viruses is administered intramuscularly. The live attenuated influenza vaccine is administered intranasally.
Some vaccines are protective shortly after the initial dose, for example the flu vaccine and yellow fever vaccine. Others require several doses to achieve protective levels of antibodies. That is why infants need several primary doses to achieve complete protection. Booster doses are required when biological antibody levels wane over time. Examples are the tetanus-diphtheria booster given every ten years.
Immunization is a complex subject. Some basic understanding of the subject is necessary to justify its importance. Adult and children immunization will be addressed later.
Patience Abiedu
Bsc.Pharm D &The American Pharmacists’ Association