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Is immunity from vaccines better than “natural” immunity?

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Children can develop immunity after they recover from an infectious disease. This is called natural immunity.source: 1 However, no one can predict whether a child will get seriously ill from the disease or have long-term effects after getting sick.source: 2 Vaccines provide a safe way to build immunity against diseases without the risks that come with getting the actual disease.source: 2

  • Immunity from vaccines reduces the chance of severe illness or death. For instance, Hib disease can be very dangerous. It can cause meningitis, sepsis, or pneumonia.source: 3,source: 4,source: 5 Children who are up to date on their Hib vaccine are not likely to get sick with the disease because of how well the vaccine works.source: 6
  • Natural immunity is riskier than vaccine-induced immunity.source: 2 The term “natural immunity” is misleading because many people think it means “good” or “pure.” But that is not what it means. It means you got sick—and suffered through the disease and possible complications—to gain immunity. That is why the term “post-infection immunity” is more accurate. Vaccines give you immunity without the risks that come from diseases.
  • It is safer to get a vaccine than to get immunity by becoming ill.source: 2 Vaccines are carefully studied and made in a high-quality way to provide immunity without getting the disease. Getting your child vaccinated helps you decrease the chances of your child becoming seriously ill when exposed to an infectious disease.source: 7

Key Evidence

  • Immunity through vaccination is safer than natural immunity.source: 2 Natural immunity is when a child is protected from a disease in the future because they got sick with the disease.source: 1 Getting sick with a disease to gain immunity can be risky:
    • Even with treatment, approximately 1 out of every 10 people who get meningococcal disease will die.source: 8,source: 9 Of those who survive, up to 20% will suffer serious and permanent complications, including brain damage, kidney damage, hearing loss, and amputation.source: 8,source: 9
    • About 9 out of every 10 infants who get hepatitis B will develop chronic hepatitis, which can lead to liver cancer.source: 10
  • Immunity that comes from diseases provides protection after infection, not before exposure. When a child is exposed to germs and gets sick, they can develop natural immunity. However, this puts your child at risk—they can become very ill from a disease. One in 5 people who are not vaccinated against measles will need care in a hospital if they get the disease.source: 11
  • Vaccines can induce a better immune response. For some diseases, including HPV, the vaccines that prevent them lead to a better immune response than natural infection.source: 12 Since the HPV vaccine was first recommended in 2006, infections with HPV types that cause most HPV cancers and genital warts have dropped by 88% among teen girls and by 81% among young adult women.source: 13 Thanks to vaccination, scientists are also beginning to see decreases in certain HPV-causing cancers.source: 13,source: 14
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A Deeper Dive: Building Immunity with Vaccines

Vaccines help people build immunity to diseases without getting the diseases themselves. Vaccines work in different ways. Some vaccines contain either a harmless form or piece of a disease-causing germ.source: 15 Some newer vaccines use messenger RNA, a part of genes that sends messages, to instruct the immune system to identify and protect against a disease. source: 15

Vaccines teach your child’s immune system how to recognize and respond to the disease. It is like a training exercise. The immune system makes antibodies so it is ready to fight off the disease in the future.source: 16 If your child is ever exposed to the real disease, then the antibodies are there to quickly help protect them.source: 2 Sometimes your child needs more than one dose of a vaccine for the best protection.

Vaccines often provide better and longer immunity than immunity from getting the disease.source: 7 And they are much safer. You never know which child will become extremely sick from a disease. Thanks to vaccines, you can be confident your child has protection.

Babies Need Vaccines to Fight Deadly Diseases

Strengthening immunity with vaccines is especially important for babies. Babies are born with immune systems that can fight many germs. But there are some serious and deadly diseases they cannot handle.source: 7 Vaccines help babies’ systems learn faster without the risk of getting sick. For example, 1 in 3 babies younger than 1 year old with whooping cough need to be hospitalized, and about 1 in 100 babies who are hospitalized will die.source: 17 That’s why it’s especially important for babies to get their vaccines on time.

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More information

Still have questions? Talk to your child’s doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.

Sources

  1. CDC: Immunity Types
  2. HHS: Vaccines Protect You
  3. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: A Look at Each Vaccine: Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (Hib) Vaccine
  4. CDC: MMWR: Vital Signs: Epidemiology of Sepsis: Prevalence of Health Care Factors and Opportunities for Prevention
  5. CDC: About Haemophilus influenzae Disease
  6. CDC: Hib Vaccination
  7. CDC: Reasons to Vaccinate
  8. National Foundation for Infectious Diseases: 5 Things You May Not Know About Meningitis
  9. CDC: Meningococcal ACWY VIS
  10. CDC: Clinical Overview of Hepatitis B
  11. CDC: Measles Symptoms and Complications
  12. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: Immune System and Vaccines
  13. CDC: HPV Vaccination
  14. JAMA Network: Trends in Human Papillomavirus–Associated Cancers, Demographic Characteristics, and Vaccinations in the US, 2001-2017
  15. HHS: Vaccine Types
  16. FDA: Vaccine Facts: Why You and Your Family Need Vaccines
  17. CDC: Symptoms of Whooping Cough
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