Addressing the concerns that trigger vaccine hesitancy

Humans are exposed to environments that have numerous microorganisms, some of which are harmless while others are harmful.

- BY DR MILTON LUM

When a microorganism invades the human body, it is recognised as foreign by the body's immune system, which then mounts a response to fight off the microorganism.

The immune system also remembers the microorganism.

This "memory" provides protection on the next occasion the microorganism invades the human body.

This protection is termed "immunity".

Types of vaccines

Vaccines are substances that teach the human body's immune system to recognise and defend itself against harmful microorganisms by producing antibodies.

There are currently vaccines against 20 life-threatening diseases.

There are various types of vaccines, which are:

These vaccines also contain another harmless virus that functions to get the genetic material into human cells.

mRNA vaccines use messenger ribonucleic acid, which instructs human cells to produce a protein or part of a protein of the microorganism.

Vaccines stimulate the body's immune response, although the different types of vaccines work in different ways.

Every vaccine has ingredients that provide immunity, and keep it safe and effective.

Most vaccines do not contain mercury.