How do vaccines work?

In general, vaccines contain weakened or inactive parts of an organism that trigger an immune response within the body. This weakened version will not cause the disease in the person receiving the vaccine, but it will trigger their immune system to respond.

• Some vaccines require multiple doses, given weeks or months apart.

• This is sometimes needed to allow for the production of long-lived antibodies and development of memory cells.

• In this way, the body is trained to fight the specific disease-causing organism, building up memory against the pathogen so it can fight it in the future

• Vaccines reduce risks of getting a disease by working with your body’s natural defences to build protection against specific diseases