Do you remember those endless lines at the doctor’s clinic, waiting for your next vaccine update as a kid? Because of so many important vaccines that you have to acquire in your system as a child, you tend to think that vaccinations are just for infants, toddlers, and children. This is where you need to reconsider. Even adults need vaccine updates. Children have underdeveloped immune systems. Vaccines should definitely be started during the very young years. As you get older, your body becomes exposed to free radicals. This occurrence makes you more prone to infections. If ignored, these infections may even become life threatening.
How Vaccines Work
Vaccines introduce a tiny amount of the virus, which brings about sickness into your body. As a response to this foreign element, your body then makes antibodies, which protect you efficiently by eliminating any form of pathogen that invades you. Vaccines provide the just the right amount of the virus to trigger the antibody production. The amount is just right that it won’t even make you sick. Once the produced antibodies are activated, your body gains a shield against the disease. There are vaccines that give you lifetime immunity against diseases. Some need booster shots for updated protection.
Two of the latest vaccines you should consider are the shingles vaccine and the diabetes vaccine.
Shingles Vaccine
Shingles is a painful form of skin rash that develops in a number of stages. Initially, you will have mild headaches and sensitivity to light. Then, you start experiencing itchiness. The area becomes irritated. What looked like small, flat skin rashes turn into clusters of round blisters. These blister clusters only develop on one side of your body or face. Oftentimes, they appear on the rib cage. The blisters and the pain usually last for two to four weeks, depending on the condition’s severity.
When you get chicken pox, you acquire two types of viruses—Varicella virus and the Herpes zoster virus. Chicken pox comes from Varicella, which comes out when you have initially contracted the disease. The Herpes zoster virus remains dormant in your system until your immunity weakens. This usually happens when you are immuno-compromised or when you reach a very old age. With a shingles vaccine, you become protected from shingles and even if you do get it, the symptoms will be controlled.
Diabetes Vaccine
In Type I diabetes, the beta cells are constantly attacked and then destroyed by the body’s own immune system. Insulin production is the target of the said autoimmune response in very young kids. The diabetes vaccine is a powdered vaccine, which is administered through the oral route. This does not affect the glucose levels in the serum. After its absorption, it is broken down. Even so, it can still be recognized by the immune system. This powdered insulin vaccine is not something that young patients will fear. It is non-invasive and the patients do not have to anticipate the pain of an injection.
The vaccine is still in its trial stages. With positive responses, it will someday be ready to prevent Type I diabetes from causing discomfort and harm.
Make an appointment with your doctor now and see what vaccines you need to have at your age. Prevention is always many times better than cure.