Vaccines: What they are, how they work, and why they are important

Pertussis, aka whooping cough, is a pretty nasty illness. Most healthy adults will survive it - with a trip to the doctor or even a short stay in the hospital, so it's no picnic. However, babies, small children, old folks, or people with weak immune systems don't always survive getting whooping cough. It's scary and kills people sometimes. You might be thinking "OMG! How can I protect myself and my loved ones from such a scourge?!" and you are in luck! Through the marvels of modern medicine and SCIENCE we have a way to combat this and MANY other nasty illnesses! Vaccines! Hooray!