Worried about AstraZeneca? Learn how vaccines keep communities safe in 6 minutes

The last year has had a LOT of vaccine talk.

Pfizer? Moderna? AstraZeneca?

It's not something most of us have much experience with, so it's normal to have worries or want as much information as possible to understand what we're signing on for.

So let's zoom out and understand the role vaccines play in keeping our entire communities healthy.

Preventive immunizations are commonly known as vaccines.

Some examples of vaccines you may be familiar with:

• Flu vaccines

• Tetanus shots

• The shingles vaccine

Vaccines work by stimulating the body's immune system to "remember" a disease without the body actually having to get the disease.

This is why vaccines are considered preventive: they prevent diseases from happening.

Take a look at this clip for a more technical explanation of how vaccines work!

Vaccines are one of the most important factors in reducing the spread of dangerous diseases.

Widespread vaccination has:

• Completely eliminated diseases

• Reduced case numbers of diseases

• Lowered mortality rates

• Reduced disease severity

Here are a few examples:

• In the 1950s, polio was responsible for 15,000 cases of paralysis and 1.900 deaths in the United States. Today, there are no cases of polio in the United States.

• Widespread vaccination led to complete global eradication of smallpox in 1980.

• Global measles deaths have fallen from 2.6 million a year before a vaccine was available to just over 140,000 in 2018.

Widespread vaccination leads to herd immunity (also called community immunity). The more people who are immunized to a disease, the harder it is for the disease to spread.

Some groups of people can't get vaccines, such as people with compromised immune systems and people with certain allergies. Herd immunity acts as a buffer to protect these people from disease.

This graphic from the CDC shows how herd immunity works:

Getting vaccinated not only lowers your risk of getting certain diseases, but it also helps protect your community from outbreaks.

Many people worry that getting vaccinated might result in serious side effects, or could even make them ill. In reality, most side effects from vaccines are mild and only last 1-2 days. Experiencing severe or long-lasting side effects from vaccines is highly unlikely.

Here are some common side effects you might experience after getting a vaccine:

• Tenderness, pain, swelling, and/or redness near the injection site

• Mild fever

• Chills

• Mild fatigue/tiredness

• Headaches

• Muscle/joint pain

The side effects of many diseases there are vaccines for have a much higher likelihood of being severe. For example:

• Measles can cause swelling of the brain and blindness

• Polio can cause paralysis

• The flu , pneumococcus , and measles can all cause lung scarring from pneumonia

• HPV can cause cancer

The benefits of getting preventive immunizations far outweigh the drawbacks of getting ill.

Do you know someone who is feeling anxious or sceptical about getting their vaccine?

Learn more about community health! Take a dive into the 5 social determinants of health.