Science Common Sense

44 - How do vaccines protect us from diseases?

Vaccines protect us from diseases by teaching our bodies how to fight the bad guys (germs) without making us sick.

Here's how it works:

1. A vaccine has a tiny piece of a germ (or a weak germ) that can't hurt us.
2. When we get the vaccine, our body's superhero (our immune system) sees the germ and says, "Oh no, I need to fight this!"
3. Our immune system creates special soldiers (called antibodies) to fight the germ.
4. If the real germ tries to infect us later, our antibodies recognize it and fight it off, keeping us from getting sick.
5. We stay healthy because our body knows how to defend itself against that germ.

Vaccines help keep us safe from diseases and prevent them from spreading to others.