The Benefits and Risks of Vaccines: What You Should… | Ready Health

August 8, 2025

The Benefits and Risks of Vaccines: What You Should Know

Risk vs benefit of vaccines

Vaccines are one of the most powerful tools we have in modern medicine. Thanks to widespread immunisation, we’ve been able to protect millions of people worldwide from once-deadly diseases like polio, measles, and diphtheria.

But understandably, some people still have concerns—especially around vaccine safety and side effects. In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at the benefits and risks of vaccines, separating science from myth and helping you make informed decisions for yourself and your family.

🧬 Health Benefits of Vaccination

The primary goal of any vaccine is to prevent disease. And the success has been huge.

✅ Disease Prevention and Control

  • Vaccines dramatically reduce illness, disability and death caused by infectious diseases.

  • In some cases, they can eliminate or even eradicate diseases entirely—just like smallpox, which no longer exists in the natural world.

  • Measles was declared eliminated in the Americas in 2016 due to a strong two-dose vaccine strategy achieving >95% population coverage.

✅ Less Severe Illness if You Do Get Sick

Even if someone catches a disease after being vaccinated (known as vaccine breakthrough), they tend to have milder symptoms and recover faster than someone who isn’t vaccinated.

✅ Protection Beyond the Obvious

Some vaccines offer unexpected extra protection. For example, the measles vaccine can also reduce your chances of developing bacterial pneumonia or severe diarrhoea.

💷 Economic Benefits of Vaccines

While vaccine programmes cost money to run—buying doses, staffing clinics, and maintaining cold chains—the long-term savings are enormous.

📉 Fewer Hospital Stays and Treatments

Fewer illnesses means:

  • Less time off work or school

  • Fewer GP visits and prescriptions

  • Reduced hospital admissions

  • Long-term economic growth thanks to a healthier population

Combination vaccines (like the 6-in-1 jab for babies) also help lower costs and increase compliance by protecting against multiple diseases in a single injection.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Social Benefits: Herd Immunity and More

🛡 What Is Herd Immunity?

When a large enough portion of the population is vaccinated, it’s harder for diseases to spread—even to people who can’t have vaccines (like newborns or immunocompromised individuals). This is known as herd immunity.

It’s one of the key ways polio was eliminated from most parts of the world.

💊 Tackling Antibiotic Resistance

Vaccines also reduce the need for antibiotics. That helps fight antibiotic resistance, one of the biggest global health threats we face today.

🌍 Helping People Live Longer

Did you know? In elderly adults, flu vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes by up to 20%, and reduce overall mortality by as much as 50%.

⚠️ What About the Risks?

Let’s be honest: no medical treatment is completely without risk—and vaccines are no different. But the risks are rare, usually mild, and far outweighed by the benefits.

🤒 Common Side Effects

Most vaccine side effects are short-lived and mild:

  • Sore arm

  • Slight fever

  • Fatigue or headache

  • Mild rash (in some live vaccines)

🧠 Serious Reactions Are Rare

Serious side effects—like allergic reactions—are extremely rare, and vaccination staff are trained to manage them quickly and safely if they occur.

💬 Debunking Common Vaccine Myths

Unfortunately, some popular myths still cause concern. Let’s clear a few of them up:

💬 Myth✅ Reality
MMR causes autismThis has been widely debunked. Numerous large-scale studies confirm there's no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.
Vaccinated kids get more allergies or autoimmune diseasesThere is no credible evidence to support this. In fact, some vaccines may reduce the risk of certain infections that can trigger autoimmune responses.
Vaccines are linked to cancerThis is false. Vaccines like the HPV vaccine actually prevent cancers, such as cervical and throat cancer.
Too many vaccines at once overload the immune systemChildren are exposed to hundreds of germs daily. The immune system can easily handle multiple vaccines. It’s safe and effective to give several at once.

💡 Final Thought: The Bigger Picture

Vaccines protect individuals, families, and entire communities. They save lives, reduce pressure on the NHS, and help us all live longer, healthier lives.

At Ready Health Clinic in Standish, we support patients with vaccine advice, travel immunisations, private flu jabs, and more. Whether you're planning a holiday or just want to stay up to date with your boosters, we're here to help.

Book a Vaccine Appointment

📞 Call today or book online to speak with one of our friendly clinicians.

📍 Serving Standish, Wigan, Chorley, Horwich and surrounding areas.

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