How Vaccines Work

Your body has an immune system. It's made up of many cells and organs. This system helps fight infections.

Here's how it works: A disease-causing germ enters your body. Your immune system helps fight it. But the germ has a head start.
It grows fast. Sometimes your immune system can't act fast enough to stop the germ. When that happens, you get sick.

But once you've had an infection, your immune system "knows" the germ that caused it. If the germ tries to enter your body again,
your immune system acts faster. It defends you. This defense can last for years. That's why people get some infections (like chikenpox)
just once.

Vaccines help your body to be prepared for disease. Vaccines trigger your immune system to make antibodies to fight specific germs.
So, if a germ enters your body, you can fight it.

Sometimes a vaccine's protection can wear off. That's why you need booster shots for some vaccines.

Immunizations

One mistake the traveler should not make is to rely solely on the information obtained from the embassy. Often, embassies only recommend the legally required vaccinations and unknowingly omit the other medically important immunizations and general health advise

·         Required immunizations:
Yellow fever, and meningitis vaccines are the only vaccines that may be officially required for entry into certain countries.

Yellow fever vaccine is only administered at designated yellow fever centers such as the International Travelers’s  Clinic. After immunization, an International Certificate of Vaccination is issued and is valid 10 days after vaccination. You must take the certificate with you.

·         Recommended immunizations:
The recommended immunizations depend not only on your previous immunizations but also on your travel itinerary. After reviewing your medical history, past immunizations, and the list of the countries you will be visiting, Dr. Bahar may recommend some of the vaccinations listed below: