Public Health Wales - Vaccination Saves Lives Vaccines.
You’re probably fed up of hearing about them, but we’ve been getting vaccinated since we were babies, and vaccinations have been around for a lot longer than that.
The first vaccine was invented back in 1796, which completely wiped out the deadly smallpox disease. Fast forward to today, and we have vaccines to help protect us from getting seriously ill from more than 16 diseases in Wales, from meningitis to cervical cancer.
At times in your life, you might be offered additional vaccines to help shield you. For example, during pregnancy you’ll be offered the whooping cough vaccine to protect your baby from becoming very ill once they’re born. But how does vaccination work, exactly? Well, a vaccine teaches our bodies how to fight off a disease before we're exposed to the virus or bacteria that causes it. This way, if we are exposed to it in the future, our body’s immune system already knows how to fight it before we ever become seriously ill. All vaccines used in Wales are tested on thousands of people before they are offered to us.
Vaccines are safe and effective. Research from around the world shows that vaccines are one of the best ways you can help to protect yourself, your friends, and family against serious disease. They’re like putting a big arm around our loved ones, to shield and safeguard them against lots of nasty illnesses. Vaccines will be with us throughout our lives. They're part of our history and our future.
To learn more about vaccines and how to protect yourself and your loved ones, please visit the Public Health Wales website.