Vaccinations help protect yourself and those you love.

Vaccines help to protect people, communities, and the health care system from disease and are considered one of the greatest achievements in public health. In simple terms, a vaccine teaches the body’s immune system to recognize and fight harmful viruses and bacteria before they can cause serious illness. Vaccines help to protect against measles, polio, and whooping cough, which used to cause many hospitalizations and deaths, especially among children. Because of vaccination programs, these illnesses are now rare or even eliminated in Canada.

Vaccines not only protect the person who receives them, they also help protect the people around them by reducing the spread of disease. This is particularly important for babies, the elderly, and those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons. This group protection is called community immunity, or herd immunity, and occurs when a high percentage of the population is vaccinated. Vaccines also help to reduce pressure on our health care system as preventing disease is much less costly than treating people when they get sick. Vaccines are important throughout one’s life; infants need them because their immune systems are developing, while older children and adults need booster shots to maintain protection or protect against new risks.