Vaccinations are used to make our body recognize the danger represented by some germs that we risk encountering in the course of our life, especially in some phases. The organism, through vaccination, is able to defend itself by developing specific defenses, such as antibodies, complex molecules that can specifically recognize certain targets present on germs. By getting vaccinated, children do nothing but “train” their bodies to strengthen and make more efficient the immune system which, in the first years of life, is less able to defend itself against germs and diseases. This training essentially prepares the body for the eventual encounter and defense against pathogenic germs. In this sense, vaccinations are doubly useful because they protect both from the specific disease and “help to grow” the immune system: not only do they not weaken it, but they strengthen the organism.
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Alberto Villani is Head of General Pediatrics, Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome.