Over the past decade, vaccines have been unjustly tossed into the national spotlight. All of a sudden, people are questioning the modern miracle of science and medicine. First, it is important to clear the air. Vaccines are safe. Vaccines are necessary. People should absolutely vaccinate their children unless their kids are either too young or allergic to the ingredients. The effects of not vaccinating children are profound. Despite the scientific consensus that people should vaccinate their children, an increasing number of people are refusing to do so. It is important to examine how vaccines work.

First of all, vaccines work by stimulating the body's immune system to better combat some of the most dangerous infections. The immune system produces antibodies when exposed to an invader. These antibodies persist for long periods of time and help to fight off an infection if the body sees the infection a second time. Unfortunately, these antibodies don't help much during the first infection. This is where much of the damage is done. Therefore, medical research invented vaccines. These take weakened infections or proteins from infectious diseases called antigens. It is important to note these vaccine components do not cause any deadly infections. They are merely portions of the infection or a weakened form of the infection. These vaccines train the body to fight off the infection if …show more content…
Smallpox is a notable disease for its high mortality rate during the 1800s. It was also the first vaccine invented by Edward Jenner in the mid-1800s. The world began vaccinating everyone against smallpox in the early 20th century. By the mid 20th century, the disease was completely eliminated. In fact, the global health community is so adamant that the disease is gone that countries stopped vaccinating against smallpox. Despite this, the disease has not made a return. It exists only in research laboratories