Turns out they’re not. You wouldn’t want to break your arm if you could help it, so why risk catching meningitis or pneumonia? These diseases can be prevented and there’s something that you can do about it. Under the National Immunisation Program (NIP), vaccinations against these diseases are available free of charge to those who qualify.
This doesn’t mean you’ll get a yearly package of vaccine and needles dropped at your door to top up your immunity. You’ll have to be a little more proactive. There’s heaps of information online about which immunisations you may qualify to receive. To find out more visit immunise.health.gov.au
Fact: In order to develop natural immunity against a disease you must contract the disease. This can often have dire consequences to your health. Take Smallpox, for example, without vaccination this disease would kill millions of people each year.
Fact: Immunisations contain a piece of deactivated virus that your body recognises as foreign. An immunisation inserts it into your body, causing it to build immunity without ever coming in contact with the live virus. This creates a “memory” of the virus so your body can defend itself if it is ever exposed.
Fact: Typically, the main chemicals of people’s concern are formaldehyde, mercury and aluminium which are used only in trace amounts to make the vaccine. The amount of these chemicals found in a vaccine are negligible; higher levels of formaldehyde are produced by natural processes in your own body.
