Why Do We Get Vaccines?

[Music] foreign it's a big day for me in a few minutes I'm going to the doctor to get a shot now I'll be honest with you getting shots is not my favorite thing I remember the last time I had a shot it kind of hurt a little like a pinch but I also remember that a good thing to do when I'm afraid of something is to try and learn more about it and I thought I'd share what I learned about shots with you you probably already know that germs like the ones that cause colds or the flu can make you feel pretty yucky but some kinds of germs can make people very very sick like the ones that cause diseases such as measles and polio these diseases can be dangerous and they did make a lot of people sick a long time ago but scientists and doctors put a lot of work into finding ways to keep people from getting these diseases and after a lot of work they invented what we call vaccines a vaccine is something that you put into your body that helps keep you from getting a disease and the actual shot that's called a vaccination so what what's in the vaccine that helps protect you from getting a disease Believe It or Not germs a vaccine actually contains little bits of germs it might seem kind of weird that you're trying to keep from getting sick by putting germs inside your body but that's how vaccines work the germs that are in a vaccine are already dead or sometimes very weak so they're not dangerous but your body doesn't know the difference it treats the germs in the vaccine just like it would treat the germs that cause a cold or the flu it tries to attack and Destroy them while your body is fighting The Germ that's in the vaccine it's also making special little particles that will help your body fight off The Germ if it gets into your body again it's kind of like your body is practicing maybe you practice a sport or a musical instrument to get ready for a game or a concert well when your body attacks the dead or weak germs that are in a vaccine it's getting itself ready for the germs that can really make you sick because of all this practice your body will probably be able to fight off the germs but 4 they can cause a disease now a vaccine doesn't protect you from every kind of germ it only helps your body learn to fight off the certain kind of germ that's in the vaccine that's partly why you have to get more than one shot when you go to the doctor so how does the doctor give you the vaccination that you need well the vaccine is a liquid and it's in a little tube that has a plunger on one end and a needle on the other then the doctor or nurse will find a place on your body where the vaccine will work the best sometimes the vaccine needs to go into a thick piece of muscle like the back of your arm or right below your hip or in the top part of your leg so the doctor or nurse quickly puts the needle into the muscle and pushes down the plunger and you're done the vaccine is in your body sometimes your arm or leg might be a little bit sore afterwards you might even feel kind of tired or get a little fever those kinds of things are totally okay it just means your body is fighting the germs in the vaccine and you should feel better in a day or two so vaccines might hurt just a little bit bit but the pinch is worth not getting sick and now it's time for me to get my shot I mean my vaccination thanks for joining us if you want to keep learning and having fun with squeaks with me hit the Subscribe button and we'll see you next time here at the fort [Music]

Channel: SciShow Kids

Views: 584,154

Keywords: scishow, scishowkids, Jessi Knudsen, Jessi Knudsen Castaneda, Squeaks, science, kids, children, learning, education, school, sci, show, hank, green, home, curriculum, kindergarten, activities, doctor, health, medicine, animation, cartoon, virus, blood cell, immune system, medical science, nurse, doctor's office, kids questions, questions, puppet, fun, medical procedure, booster shot, vaccine, germ, sick, colf, flu

Id: 5SproXmRUkI

Length: 3min 31sec (211 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 14 2017