It's never too late to get vaccinated.

The importance of vaccines in protecting health.

According to Dr. Nguyen Hien Minh, Deputy Head of the Vaccination Unit at the University Medical Center of Ho Chi Minh City, vaccines are a crucial tool in protecting human health from birth to adulthood and old age.

Vaccines are considered a great invention of medicine, comparable to the discovery of antibiotics. While antibiotics are associated with the treatment phase of a disease, vaccines help us prevent disease early on.

Since Dr. Edward Jenner invented the smallpox vaccine in 1796, medicine has continuously advanced and produced many vaccines to prevent various diseases.

The human body has two types of immunity: innate immunity and adaptive immunity.

Innate immunity exists from birth, capable of blocking harmful agents, but it lacks specific memory for individual viruses or bacteria.

Adaptive immunity, on the other hand, is a type of immunity that is "trained" each time the body encounters a pathogen, helping the body produce specific antibodies and immune cells to fight the harmful agent the next time it is encountered. Vaccination is a way to actively create adaptive immunity in the body.

It's never too late to get vaccinated.

According to Dr. Nguyen Hien Minh, vaccination is necessary at all ages. While still in the womb, children passively receive antibodies from their mothers through the placenta and breast milk. However, to strengthen immune memory, children need to be vaccinated so that their immune system can "learn" to actively fight against viruses and bacteria in the environment.

As adults grow older, increased social interaction and travel put them at greater risk of illness. Therefore, the immune system needs additional vaccines tailored to different age groups to strengthen disease prevention. This is especially important for older adults and those with chronic illnesses, whose weakened immune systems necessitate booster vaccinations.

Therefore, vaccination is a lifelong process that can protect our health at any age.

Vaccines are like antigenic components that are introduced into the body for the immune system to recognize and activate immune cells.

In the human body, two key cells involved in recognizing antigens and producing antibodies are T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes. While these cells possess memory, this ability varies depending on the specific antigen and the timing of exposure. Over time, the immune system needs "reinforcement" through vaccination to enhance this memory. Therefore, booster vaccinations are essential for complete protection.

With the aim of helping people better understand the importance of vaccines and immunization for their own health and the health of society, the Communication Center, in collaboration with the Vaccination Unit of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City and partners GSK and Pfizer, is implementing the "Healthy Living - Sharing" consultation program with the theme "Vaccines for Life - It's Never Too Late to Get Vaccined". Follow us at: https://bit.ly/vacxintrondoi

Source: https://giadinhonline.vn/vac-xin-tron-doi-tiem-chung-khong-bao-gio-la-muon-d201419.html