Vaccines

See background on the history of vaccine development, testing, and regulation, with this breakdown from the College Physicians of Philadelphia.

Watch this under-3-minute video explaining how vaccines use the body's immune system to prepare our bodies against viral and bacterial threats to our health.

See the table of recommended vaccinations for Americans from their birth to age 18.

A vaccine is a medical intervention, and as with any medical intervention, may have side effects. This article discusses side effects and adverse events related to vaccination.

History tells us the public will tolerate risk of harm from a vaccine if their fear of the disease exceeds their fear of the vaccine.

Bacteria and viruses are all around us - some beneficial and some fatal. Learn the difference with this overview article.

The body needs a few weeks after the vaccine to build up a sufficient antibody response, which eventually wanes. Scheduling the vaccine accordingly can maximize its effectiveness when flu season ramps up.

Everyone has come in contact with common viruses—typically something like influenza (the common flu)—but sometimes they encounter more dangerous strains. While we're familiar with the symptoms that manifest, it wasn't until the advent of advanced microscopy that scientists could pin down the exact structure and behavior of various viruses.

The number of infected people, measured over 70-some years and across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, declined significantly after vaccines were introduced.

As viruses mutate and develop, vaccines have to adapt, leading to regular recommended injections like flu shots. Researchers are working to develop universal vaccines that aim to protect against multiple virus variants if not entire virus families. These vaccines work by creating broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) that target aspects of viruses that don't typically mutate and are integral to the virus' survival.