Pediatric Immunization Clinic in Winter Park FL

The purpose of immunization is to create immunity (protection from) certain diseases. There are times when this is accomplished by using small amounts of weakened or killed germs that cause the disease. Sometimes a vaccine is simply a small piece of the germ, such as a protein or a genetic fragment. An individual’s body produces an immune response after receiving a vaccine in the same way it does after being exposed to a disease, but without getting the virus. Due to your immune system’s familiarity with the disease, if you are ever exposed to it naturally, your body will make a faster immune response.

In most cases, your immune system responds quickly enough to prevent you from developing symptoms. If you get vaccinated, you’ll reduce your chances of becoming seriously ill, even if it doesn’t cause your immune system to react fast enough to prevent you from developing symptoms.

The immune system usually responds to a vaccine within one to three weeks. It depends on your age and general health as well as the vaccine. In most cases, immunization does not immediately protect against infection.

There are different vaccines that fight different diseases to provide immunization. To prevent measles, chicken pox, and yellow fever, live attenuated vaccines use weakened versions of the disease-causing pathogen. For hepatitis B, whooping cough, and shingles, subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines target specific parts of the pathogen. Diphtheria and tetanus are prevented by toxoid vaccines, which contain a toxin produced by the pathogen. To protect against the flu, polio, and rabies, inactivated vaccines use a killed form of the pathogen.

In order to protect children from diseases, more and more vaccines are being developed. Staying up-to-date on immunization requirements can be challenging, but parents can access the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) immunization schedule.

A high vaccination rate in a community reduces the risk of catching vaccine-preventable diseases. As a result, herd immunity develops. Due to immunization, these diseases are less common in the community, so even those without immunity are less likely to contract them.

Vaccines do not guarantee protection against diseases even after all doses have been given. Nine out of ten children who receive all the recommended doses of childhood vaccines will develop protective immunity.

The COVID-19 vaccine, for instance, will not prevent you from catching the disease, but it can reduce your risk of serious illness.

Most people (about 8 out of 10) are protected against disease after receiving other vaccines, such as whooping cough vaccines. In the event that you do catch the disease, these vaccines will reduce your chances of becoming seriously ill.

Although immunization does not entirely eliminate the chance of getting sick, it greatly reduces the risk of serious complications and encourages herd immunity to develop. As a result, immunization is highly important for both your protection as well as the community’s.

By vaccinating, the immune system prepares itself to fight off future infections. A vaccine contains tiny amounts of dead or weak viruses or bacteria, called antigens. In response to these antigens, your immune system trains itself to fight disease without getting sick. If you are exposed to the disease again, your body will be better prepared to fight it. The majority of vaccines are administered by injection, but some are given orally.

Vaccination and immunization have similar meanings, but they are not the same. In the medical world, vaccination refers to getting a vaccine, whether as an injection or an oral dose. Immunization describes the process encompassing both getting the vaccine and subsequently becoming immune to the disease.

Pediatric immunization is available at Kidswood Pediatrics. Contact us or schedule an appointment online. We are located at 1680 Lee Rd, Winter Park, FL 32789. We serve patients from Winter Park FL, Goldenrod FL, Lockhart FL, Maitland FL, Apopka FL, Casselberry FL, Oviedo, FL, and surrounding areas.