Vaccines : what they are, how they work, the many different ones, and the myths surrounding them

Vaccines are an important component of healthcare in the world today. Vaccines are able to prevent people from getting many diseases and provide protection for the future. However, many people have concerns over the safety of vaccines and question why they are necessary. Many people are beginning to not have their children vaccinated out of fear for what the vaccine will do, such as cause autism. In this paper I provide the basic immunology information that is important to understand vaccines, the types of vaccines used, information on common vaccines, information on the safety of vaccines, and I address some of the concerns of parents, in particular the fear of autism caused by vaccines.