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COMMUNITY UPDATE Five Fast Facts to Help You Understand Vaccines

Source: Inspira Health
Immunization—having immunity against diseases and infections through vaccina-
National Farmers Market Week, August 1–7, 2021 tion—prevents nearly 3 million deaths each year. Yet there are many misconceptions
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is celebrating the 22nd annual National about vaccines, including how they work and why they are necessary. To help us
Farmers Market Week, August. 1-7, 2021. In a proclamation, USDA Secretary understand how vaccines strengthen our communities, here are five fast facts you
Tom Vilsack noted that “…farmers markets serve as significant outlets for small- should know about vaccines and the immune system.
to-medium, new and beginning, socially disadvantaged, and veteran agricultural 1. Our immune system allows us to battle known and unknown diseases.
The human body is powerful. So powerful, in fact, that it comes with its own
producers to market agricultural products, in turn generating revenue that sup-
ports the sustainability of family farms and the revitalization of rural communi- defense software—the immune system.
ties nationwide…and farmers markets play a critical role in the Biden-Harris “The immune system has front line responders called white blood cells that travel
Administration’s Build Back Better Initiative by connecting producers and con- the body to detect and destroy harmful pathogens such as viruses and bacteria,” said
sumers to strengthen nutritional security, and contributing to a fair, competitive, Ed Dix, PharmD., Director of Pharmacy for Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill.
“For example, when a pathogen enters our body, white blood cells send signals tell-
distributed, and resilient
food system.” ing our body to suit up—which usually involves sneezing, coughing, inflammation and/
In a USDA blog, or fever. This is our immune system trying to rid our body of dangerous invaders and
Betsy Rakola, associ- keep us healthy.”
2. Our body remembers disease-causing pathogens so it can protect us in
ate deputy administra- the future.
tor in the Transportation
and Marketing Program While fighting off germs is an essential responsibility of our immune system, it also
at USDA’s Agricultural has another important responsibility—it memorizes what the invaders look like and
Marketing Service, dis- how to fight them in case we are exposed to them again. This is known as the adaptive
cussed findings from the immune system.
“The adaptive immune system—which enters the battlefield after the first respond-
2019 National Farmers
Market Managers survey. ers—is armed with special white blood cells called B cells and T cells. In addition to
According to the survey, attacking the virus or bacteria, they store information about this invader so that if and
there are more than 8,000 when this pathogen comes back, the body knows how to destroy it—and without mak-
farmers markets across the ing the body as ill.”
3. Vaccines expedite the adaptive immune system’s response.
country, and the farm-level
benefits for farm vendors, “By injecting a weakened or killed form of the pathogen, or something that resem-
include: bles it, the body builds immunity without being exposed to the germ that causes the
•67 percent increased actual disease. Simply, vaccines spark the body’s adaptive immune system so that in
overall production the future, our body doesn’t have to face invaders unarmed,” said Dr. Dix. “There are
several types of vaccines. Each type is designed to teach our immune systems to fight
•33 percent increased
the number of workers off certain types of germs and prevent the serious diseases they cause.”
employed on the farm Information about the types of vaccines used to prevent different illnesses can be
•Nearly 40 percent were found at hhs.gov/immunization/basics/types/index.html.
able to sell imperfect products that 4. The COVID-19 vaccines are new, but not untested vaccine types.
“The most important takeaway about COVID-19 vaccines is that they do not
would otherwise go unsold
•77 percent diversified the types contain any live virus and cannot give you COVID. The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines
of agricultural products they grew provide the blueprints for our cells to make the COVID-19 spike protein (which is
In a second USDA blog, Christina harmless), sparking a very robust development of immunity,” said Dr. Dix. “While the
Conell, deputy director in the mRNA vaccine is a newer vaccine platform, it is not untested. Scientists have been
studying mRNA vaccines for over a decade and no steps were skipped from a safety
Marketing Services Division at the
AMS Transportation and Marketing or efficacy standpoint. The same holds true for the other types of COVID-19 vaccines,
Program, outlined the AMS resourc- which use proteins and genetic material from the virus to trigger a response and build
es available to support farmers mar- immunity, without the risk of contracting COVID-19,” Dr. Dix explained.
kets, including grants, data, technical 5. Vaccines help us achieve herd immunity.
While getting vaccinated helps protect you from known diseases, you play a very
assistance and promotion through its
free, online farmers market directory important role in an even bigger picture—helping to create herd immunity.
and other local and regional food “When approximately 75 percent or more of our communities are vaccinated
directories. against an infectious disease like COVID-19, we achieve herd immunity, which makes
it harder to spread and contract the disease,” said Dr. Dix. “And as previously men-
tioned, immunity can be built one of two ways: either getting the disease and recover-
ing from it or getting vaccinated. However, studies have shown that being vaccinated
against COVID provides longer-term immunity compared with those who have
contracted COVID and developed a temporary immunity that begins to wane after 90
days.
“It’s worth repeating, vaccines are able to give us more sustained immunity without
the potentially serious risks associated with getting COVID-19.”