With so many illnesses to think about these days (we’re looking at you: COVID, RSV, and flu), it’s becoming increasingly important to get vaccinated. You’ve probably seen terms like “vaccinate” and “immunize” being used interchangeably, but what is the difference between vaccination and immunization (and is it actually important)?
What is vaccination? What is immunization?
Why it's important to get vaccinated and boosted
In general, vaccinations are important because it protects individuals and communities from infectious diseases. “Through years of medical research and science, we have figured out that vaccination is a safe way to gain protection from an infectious disease and reduce complications without having to suffer from the actual disease,” explained Dr. Lee.
However, not only does it protect you and your body, getting vaccinated and the appropriate boosters helps provide herd immunity. Herd immunity occurs when enough of the population is vaccinated against a particular disease that it helps reduce the risk for people who are immunocompromised or cannot get vaccinated for a particular reason. If a disease cannot find enough hosts to take root, it cannot spread as easily or quickly, thereby effectively rendering the disease unspreadable.
Keep in mind that just because there may have been herd immunity at one point, if people stop getting vaccinated for that disease, the herd immunity drops and it allows for the disease to resurge and perhaps mutate beyond what our current vaccines can protect. Getting you and your children vaccinated protects not only your own immediate family and friends, it also helps protect against many vulnerable populations like the elderly or immune compromised.
“We don’t mess around when it comes to vaccines. We are fully caught up and we get flu shots every year,” Los Angeles-based mom Joyce Park told Mom.com. “This year we got ours with the Bivalent Covid Booster as soon as we could get an appointment.
