(Intro)

It's a big day for me.  In a few minutes, I'm going to the doctor to get a shot.  Now, I'll be honest with you.  Getting shots is not my favorite thing.  I remember the last time I had a shot.  It kind of hurt a little, like a pinch, but I also remember that a good thing to do when I'm afraid of something is to try and learn more about it, and I thought I'd share what I learned about shots with you.

You probably already know that germs, like the ones that cause colds or the flu, can make you feel pretty yucky, but some kinds of germs can make people very, very sick, like the ones that cause diseases, such as measles and polio.  These diseases can be dangerous and they did make a lot of people sick a long time ago, but scientists and doctors put a lot of work into finding ways to keep people from getting these diseases, and after a lot of work, they invented what we call vaccines. 

A vaccine is something that you put into your body that helps keep you from getting a disease, and the actual shot, that's called a vaccination.  So what's in the vaccine that helps protect you from getting a disease?  Believe it or not, germs!  A vaccine actually contains little bits of germs.  It might seem kind of weird that you're trying to keep from getting sick by putting germs inside your body, but that's how vaccines work. 

The germs that are in a vaccine are already dead or sometimes very weak, so the're not dangerous, but your body doesn't know the difference.  It treats the germs in the vaccine just like it would treat the germs that cause a cold or the flu.  It tries to attack and destroy them.  While your body is fighting the germ that's in the vaccine, it's also making special little particles that will help your body fight off the germ if it gets into your body again. 

It's kind of like your body is practicing.  Maybe you practice a sport or a musical instrument to get ready for a game or a concert.  Well, when your body attacks the dead or weak germs that are in a vaccine, it's getting itself ready for the germs that can really make you sick.  Because of all this practice, your body will probably be able to fight off the germs before they can cause a disease.  

Now, a vaccine doesn't protect you from every kind of germ.  It only helps your body learn to fight off the certain kind of germ that's in the vaccine.  That's partly why you have to get more than one shot when you go to the doctor.

So how does the doctor give you the vaccination that you need?  Well, the vaccine is a liquid, and it's in a little tube that has a plunger on one end and a needle on the other.  Then, the doctor or nurse will find a place on your body where the vaccine will work the best.  Sometimes the vaccine needs to go into a thick piece of muscle, like the back of your arm or right below your hip or in the top part of your leg.  So the doctor or nurse quickly puts the needle into the muscle and pushes down the plunger and you're done.  The vaccine is in your body.  

Sometimes your arm or leg might be a little bit sore afterwards.  You might even feel kind of tired or get a little fever.  Those kinds of things are totally okay.  It just means your body is fighting the germs in the vaccine and you should feel better in a day or two.

So vaccines might hurt just a little bit, but the pinch is worth not getting sick, and now it's time for me to get my shot.  I mean, my vaccination.  Thanks for joining us.  If you want to keep learning and having fun with Squeaks and me, hit the subscribe button and we'll see you next time here at the Fort.  

(Outro)