Vaccination has been used for centuries and is one of the most important public health interventions ever created to protect against illness. For the individual, it has decreased the likelihood of illness, especially from many diseases that have a high mortality rate (death rate) and high morbidity rate (other disease and dysfunction caused by a disease).
For society, vaccination has slowed and, in some cases, nearly eradicated the transmission of pathogens across the population by limiting the amount of people who are infected and can go on to infect others. Vaccination has decreased the mortality, morbidity and transmission rates of diseases such as smallpox, polio, measles, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis and many others that were once quite common.
This process of reducing disease through vaccination is as complex logistically as it is scientifically, and requires the whole of society to buy in, promote and participate in vaccination programs.
In basic terms, the goal of vaccination is to artificially stimulate the body’s immune system so that the body is ready with immune cells and antibodies to target the specific pathogen. This is done by introducing an antigen (often components of a targeted pathogen) to the immune system. The immune system recognizes this antigen as foreign and builds up a defense against the pathogen, such that when exposed to the actual infection the body is ready and prepared to protect itself.
There is a plethora of accurate information on vaccinations. Generally, all public health, government or mainstream media sources are on point. However, there is an increasing amount of misinformation on vaccines available on specific websites and social media. This misinformation has become more pronounced with COVID-19. While it can sometimes be difficult to differentiate between fact and fiction when it comes to vaccines, particularly when the science is changing so quickly, a few pointers on how to find the right information include
- Use legitimate and scientifically valid sources of information. Again, any government or public health websites are very accurate. Sources with misinformation are often characterized by extreme claims, minimal scientific citations, and unclear authorship and funding.
- Following what the majority of scientists and public health experts think is usually a good bet. There is always rigorous debate within the scientific community around various aspects of vaccines, particularly as we learn more, but listening to the majority opinion is better than following fringe sources.
- Last, it’s important to speak to health-care providers like your family physician or pharmacist, as they have undertaken many years of education to understand how diseases and vaccines work and how to understand and interpret new science.
Examples of valid sources of information
- Public Health Agency of Canada
- Government of Alberta
- 19 to Zero
- This is Our Shot
- Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)