Why vaccines still matter

Most of us weren’t around when measles filled hospital wards.

Or when polio stole children’s ability to walk.

We’ve grown up in a world where those stories live in old photographs or in our grandparents’ memories.

And because we don’t see these diseases anymore, it’s easy to believe they no longer exist.

But as I’ve started medical school, I’m beginning to understand how much of what keeps us healthy isn’t something we can see.

We rarely notice prevention. We only notice its absence.

Vaccines are part of that quiet protection.

Diseases like measles, diphtheria, and polio used to cause severe illness, disability, and death — especially in children.

Vaccines changed that story. Since widespread vaccination began, polio cases have dropped by over 99% worldwide. Measles deaths have fallen dramatically too. These aren’t just statistics — they represent real lives saved.

But these diseases haven’t disappeared. Outbreaks still happen — often in communities where vaccination rates have declined. Sometimes it’s because people question whether vaccines are still necessary.

Or they’ve simply forgotten what these diseases were like.

But vaccines are still necessary.

They don’t make diseases vanish. What they do is keep them at bay.

And when vaccine coverage drops, these illnesses can — and do — return

You know, One of the first things I learned in medical school is how the immune system works — how it recognizes threats and learns to respond.

Vaccines harness that natural process. They safely train the immune system to act faster and more effectively when the real threat appears.

But what’s stuck with me even more is this: vaccines aren’t just about personal protection. They’re about protecting each other.

Some people — like newborns, elderly grandparents, or patients undergoing chemotherapy — can’t be vaccinated, or their immune systems can’t respond well.

They rely on the immunity of those around them.

That’s where herd immunity comes in. It’s how we protect the most vulnerable — not just through individual choices, but through collective action.

Vaccination isn’t just a personal decision.

It’s a shared responsibility.