According to the data shared by the World Health Organization; Thanks to vaccines such as measles, chickenpox and mumps as a child, this is no longer the case. diseases almost never occur. It is estimated that 2 to 3 million lives are saved each year thanks to these vaccines.

In addition to technology, treatment methods such as vaccines Health care is much better. However, some vaccines need to be re-administered every year or at certain intervals. We have listed the reasons for this for you.

To understand this, we first need to learn how our body’s immune system works.

Our immune system is made up of different types of cells that work together to protect our body from harmful bacteria and viruses. consists of security systems. These systems are divided into innate and acquired immunity.

Innate immunity is the immunity we have at birth. It consists of outer defense zones such as skin and inner defense zones such as cells. Our innate immune system in an emergency first aid team We can see it as

The acquired immunity is the one we don’t have innately and It is immunity that we must develop throughout our lives. This system is divided into active and passive. Since the system related to vaccines is active immunity, we will not talk about passive immunity.

Active immunity, after exposure to a disease It is our body’s immune response. These reactions occur naturally when our bodies develop specific antibodies to fight viruses, or they can be created artificially through vaccines.

How does our natural active immunity protect us?

The interesting thing about our immunity is that it never forgets after the first attack. When it first encounters a new virus, the body must recognize the invader and antigen-specific antibodies It takes time to produce. This process can cause serious illness.

But once the immune system has gained experience with a particular pathogen, it keeps the body ready for the next invasion. memory guard cells creates. These memory cells mount an immune response much faster and stronger if they encounter the same virus again. This increases the chance of long-term protection against the disease.

So how do vaccines protect us from disease?

Vaccines work by rebuilding memory, as we mentioned above. Many vaccines accomplish this in different ways. But actually most vaccines do this. It is formed by inactivating or weakening the virus. When faced with a real virus, it produces antigen to reveal antibodies, much like preparing weapons before going into battle to provide protection.

The mRNA vaccines used for the Covid-19 we have recently become It does not contain viruses. But it works with the same basic purpose: to generate an antibody response in the body in preparation for a real infection.

Let’s go to our main topic. Why do we have to get some vaccines every year and only once for others?

How long a vaccine lasts depends on several factors. Antibodies first defense systems don’t work forever and degradation rates. In diseases such as measles, this rate is relatively low. This means that antibodies and vaccine-induced immunity remain durable for many years.

In some vaccines, such as tetanus, flu, Antibodies break down faster. Booster vaccines should be given every year or at regular intervals to restore weakened antibodies and have a greater immune response.

Another factor affecting vaccine protection is the constant mutation of viruses.

If a virus is “stable”, it multiplies. the slower it is to mutate. This gives us a big advantage. Measles is a stable virus that is unlikely to multiply. Therefore, we do not need to be vaccinated every year. Such viruses are almost destroyed by vaccination.

Influenza, Covid-19 and tetanus are among the viruses that can multiply quickly and mutate a lot. for example more than one new flu strain occurs each year, That’s why we have to get the flu vaccine every year.

We recommend that you get vaccinated to prevent you from contracting diseases that can be cured or that you will not get sick again.

• Sources: Harvard Health Publishing, HealthMatch, CedarsSinai