Vaccinations
American Samoa Department of Health Immunization Division (ASDoHID) 

Protecting you and your Family

---

At a glance: ​  Different vaccines work in different ways, but every vaccine helps the body’s immune system learn how to fight germs. It typically takes a few weeks for protection to develop after vaccination, but that protection can last a lifetime. A few vaccines, such as those for tetanus or seasonal flu, require occasional booster doses to maintain the body’s defenses.

​Strengthening your baby's Immune System

Immunity is the body’s way of preventing disease. Because a baby’s immune system is not fully developed at birth, babies face a greater risk of becoming infected and getting seriously ill. Vaccines help teach the immune system learn how to defend against germs. Vaccination protects your baby by helping build up their natural defenses.
​

• Children are exposed to thousands of germs every day. This happens through the food they eat, the air they breathe, and the things they put in their mouth.
• Babies are born with immune systems that can fight most germs, but some germs cause serious or even deadly diseases a baby can't handle. For those, babies need the help of vaccines.
• Vaccines use very small amounts of antigens to help your child's immune system recognize and learn to fight serious diseases. Antigens are the parts of a germ that cause the body's immune system to go to work.

Vaccine Ingredients

Today's vaccines use only the ingredients they need to be as safe and effective as possible. A vaccine could include any of these kinds of ingredients:

• Adjuvants such as aluminum salts help boost the body's response to a vaccination. (Also found in antacids, antiperspirants, etc.)
• Stabilizers such as sugars or gelatin help keep a vaccine effective after it is manufactured. (Naturally present in the body and found in foods such as Jell-O®.)
• Formaldehyde helps prevent bacterial contamination during manufacturing. Formaldehyde is naturally present in the body at levels higher than vaccines. (Also found in the environment, preservatives, and household products.)
• Thimerosal is a preservative used in the vaccine manufacturing process. It is no longer used to make any vaccine except multi-dose vials of the flu vaccine. Single dose vials of the flu vaccine are available as an alternative.

Vaccines are Safe​

​Before a new vaccine is ever given to people, extensive lab testing is done. Once testing in people begins, it can still take years before clinical studies are complete and the vaccine is licensed.

After a vaccine is licensed, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), CDC, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other federal agencies continue routine monitoring and investigate any potential safety concerns.

Keep in mind‎:   CDC and the FDA take great care to make sure that a vaccine is safe both before it is licensed and after the public begins using it. Making sure that all vaccines are safe is a top priority for CDC.

​For more information, visit the CDC Vaccines & Immunizations website.