Why do I need to get shots?

Shots help because they keep sick away. You feel a quick pinch. Then a bandage goes on. A grown-up gives a hug.

You get shots to help your body stop sickness before it can make you feel really bad. A shot gives your body a tiny, safe practice job. Then your body remembers what to do, like practicing a fire drill so you know where to go. The pinch is quick, and the help lasts much longer.

Shots are often vaccines. A vaccine gives your immune system, the body’s germ-fighting team, a safe practice version or tiny piece of a germ. Your body learns to make antibodies, which are helpers that can spot that germ later. Then if the real germ comes, your body can fight faster, so you may not get sick or may get less sick. Fun fact: vaccines helped make smallpox disappear from the world.