Psychology Today- Why Every Vaccine Dose Matters (April 2026)

Completing vaccination schedules is essential for full protection.

Vaccines do not usually provide full protection after a single dose. For many diseases, immunity builds over time—through a series of doses and, in some cases, boosters. The first dose begins the process, but subsequent doses strengthen and extend that protection.

We still hear from individuals and families who did not complete their schedules for particular vaccines and who assumed that partial vaccination was sufficient. Unfortunately, that gap in protection can leave individuals vulnerable and pose a risk to the wider community during an outbreak.

Visit Why Every Vaccine Dose Matters to read the article by Dr Ava Easton MBE, CEO Encephalitis International featuring Gunnilla’s Story – a life changed following tick-borne encephalitis.

” I spent a month in intensive care. I have no memory of it—no memory of the ambulance, or of being critically ill. Altogether, I was in the hospital for nine months. I was paralysed. I couldn’t speak or eat.”