By DR. RICHARD RUPP AND BRIDGET HAWKINS
Dear VaccineSmarts,
My husband doesn’t feel that vaccines are necessary. He states that natural infection induces stronger immunity than vaccines. Is that true?
Tracie,
Dickinson
Dear Tracie,
Your husband is correct about immunity following an illness. This is not surprising because a natural infection is really a war in the body between the immune system and the invading bacteria or virus. During this battle, the invader releases large amounts of substances to help it grow and multiply. How many substances can range from a dozen to a couple hundred, depending on the type of bacteria or virus. The immune system recognizes these substances as foreign and responds by producing antibodies that bind the substances to eliminate the invader. The battle usually rages for days to weeks and is responsible for making you feel sick.
There are two basic types of vaccines, component and live. Component vaccines have anywhere from one to five of the substances produced by the bacteria or virus. Vaccines deliver only tiny doses of the substance to minimize side effects such as achiness and fever. Minimizing side effects in turn limits the immune response. If vaccine-induced immunity is not strong or durable enough, multiple doses are given, spread out over months. A dose given a year or more out is often referred to as a booster.
Live vaccines have genetically weakened bacteria or viruses so that they cannot cause more than a mild disease in people with normal immune systems. The weakened bacteria or virus grows in the body producing most, if not all, of the same chemicals and compounds produced by natural infection. Live vaccines induce the immune system to produce a much broader range of antibodies than component vaccines. Although live vaccines induce a broader response, the immunity may not be as strong or persistent as that induced by natural infection. This is because the bacteria or virus in the vaccine does not grow as well as the natural ones.
What your husband fails to recognize are the high costs associated with natural infection. Take the flu for example. The illness usually lasts for a week or more, resulting in not being able to work or attend school. Besides making people sick, the flu carries a small but real risk of disability and death. On average, about 200,000 people are hospitalized and 20,000 die from the flu or its complications every year in the United States. Most people choose to be vaccinated to avoid being ill and spreading it to their loved ones. Vaccinating your family helps to protect not only your family but also others in your community who may not be able to receive vaccinations due to a health condition.
Dr. Richard Rupp is a pediatrician and professor, and Bridget Hawkins, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at UTMB. Visit our blog at http://blogs.utmb.edu/vaccinesmarts/ or like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @VaccineSmarts.