The argument of getting immunity from disease via the process of contracting it and subsequently surviving it versus having it introduced to the body in deliberate and controlled levels has raged for a long time.
Some people argue that it’s better to have natural immunity while others opine that immunity via vaccination is the best way to go. Of course, which way you actually swing is ultimately dependent on your personal opinion.
That being said, we’ll be pointing out some key facts about these two basic ways of getting immunity.
Natural Immunity and Vaccine Immunity Follow the Same Process
Through all the arguments and disagreements, it’s often easy to forget the fact that natural immunity and vaccine immunity actually follow the same basic process before occurring or being triggered in the human body!
In both cases, the harmful pathogens (or elements of such pathogens) enter the human body where they interact with the body’s antigens or defenses. During the course of this, the body can develop better resistance to these pathogens and effectively fight them off.
The one key difference in this process is that, with natural immunity, the pathogen is introduced to the body in its purest form while with vaccine immunity, the pathogen has been manipulated and moderated to give the body a superior fighting chance.
Natural Immunity May Not Occur as Predominantly as Vaccine Immunity
As we highlighted previously, with natural immunity, the harmful microbes are in their most potent form. Because of this, although a level of immunity may still be developed, humans are only able to achieve this in varying degrees.
What’s more, in many cases, the body simply just mightn’t be able to fight off the harmful organism, leading it to succumb to the illness.
However, the case is different with vaccine immunity. This is largely because the pathogen itself has been considerably weakened so it won’t be able to attack the body as actively. This gives the body’s antigens a clear advantage as it’ll be able to more effectively muster its defenses and develop better means and resources of fighting back.
Natural Immunity Isn’t as Fast in Appearing or as Painless as Vaccine Immunity
The body has to actively fight off an infection if complete natural immunity is to be achieved. In most cases, this involves falling sick and experiencing a considerable amount of pain and discomfort.
While vaccine immunity may display the same effect, it is often never to the same degree.
What To Do
For most, the best option is to go for vaccine immunity as this may be more certain than banking on natural immunity.
But no matter which path you take when dealing with COVID, it’s important you use test kits like Flowflex often or make appointments at regular intervals so you know immediately whether or not you have the illness.
By doing this, you’ll be better informed and be equipped to make the best decisions to safeguard your health.
