Which is safer: Getting the virus or getting the vaccine?

Good decisions about health start with good information. One question you may wonder about is whether immunity from a vaccine is safer than immunity from the illness itself. Here's what years of research has shown in the virus vs. vaccine debate.

Vaccines give your immune system a way to learn how to fight a virus, without getting the disease itself. Like a fire drill, your body practices how to respond to danger without being in real danger.

As with any medical treatment, vaccines can have side effects. Most are mild, like a sore arm or feeling tired for a day. Serious side effects are possible but very rare. Doctors and scientists monitor them closely to keep vaccines as safe as possible.

Illnesses like coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), measles, shingles and even the flu cause serious complications far more often than vaccines do.

Every medical choice has some risk. What matters is how the risks compare with the benefits. For vaccines, the benefits are huge. Vaccines can prevent severe illness, hospital stays and even death. For example, people who get the influenza vaccine, also called the flu shot, have an almost 30% lower chance of being hospitalized due to the flu. The risk of a serious side effect from the vaccine is possible but very rare.

When you compare them, the chance of harm from an infectious disease is far greater than the chance of harm from the vaccine. That's why doctors and scientists recommend vaccination whenever a safe and effective vaccine is available. The benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks.

Natural immunity is the protection your body develops after you recover from an infection. Some people say that getting sick is a better way to build immunity than getting a vaccine. It's true that fighting an infection can give you immunity. But getting sick carries big risks:

• You can get very ill. Viruses like COVID-19, measles, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the flu can cause hospitalization, long-term health issues and death.
• Natural immunity isn't always strong or lasting. For some illnesses, like COVID-19 and flu, immunity fades over time and may not protect against new strains. An annual vaccine can help offer ongoing protection. Boosters can help guard against new forms of the virus.
• You can get other people sick. If you get a virus, you can pass it to others. Even a mild case can become dangerous for those who are older, very young or living with chronic conditions.
• Infections can cause long-term issues. Long COVID is one example. Another is shingles years after you have chickenpox. The risk of these complications is lower if you get vaccinated for the original virus.

Unlike natural infections, vaccination is consistent. Each dose is the same formula and strength, given on a known date. Natural immunity varies depending on when and how you were infected.

Choosing vaccination means you get the benefits of immunity while avoiding the risks of illness to yourself and those around you.

Getting COVID-19 can lead to serious illness, long-term symptoms and death — even in healthy people. The vaccine lowers the risk of severe illness and death.

Some cases of heart inflammation called myocarditis have been reported after vaccination. But the risk is much higher after COVID-19 infection than after the vaccine.

Bottom line: The vaccine is the safer choice.

Flu, also called influenza, can cause high fever, body aches, pneumonia, hospital care or even death — especially in older adults or people with health problems. The flu shot is the best way to prevent flu and its complications.

Bottom line: The vaccine is the safer choice each season.

Measles spreads more easily than any other virus. It can cause ear infections, pneumonia, breathing problems, brain swelling and death. Out of every 1,000 children with measles, 1 to 3 children will die.

The measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine offers more than 99% long-term protection, and side effects are usually mild. People who are pregnant and people who have weakened immune systems should not get the measles vaccine.

Bottom line: The vaccine prevents a dangerous disease and its complications.

Certain human papillomavirus (HPV) types can cause cancers, including cervical, anal and some throat cancers. HPV vaccines are safe and prevent the HPV types that cause most of these cancers. In fact, HPV vaccination at an early age can prevent more than 90% of cervical cancers.

Bottom line: Vaccination helps prevent cancers later in life.

Also called herpes zoster, shingles causes a painful rash and can lead to long-lasting nerve pain called postherpetic neuralgia. The Shingrix vaccine protects most adults age 50 and older and lowers the risk of that long-term pain. Real-world and trial data show strong protection with a good safety record.

Bottom line: For adults age 50 and older and many with weaker immune systems, vaccination is the safer choice.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can be serious for older adults and young infants. RSV vaccines for adults age 60 and older help prevent lower respiratory tract disease. An RSV vaccine is available during pregnancy (weeks 32 to 36) to protect newborns. Studies show meaningful protection against severe illness.

Bottom line: If you're in a higher risk group — or pregnant in the late second or early third trimester — vaccination is the safer choice.

For COVID-19, flu, measles, HPV, shingles and RSV, vaccines give strong protection with far less risk than getting sick. Talk with your healthcare professional about which vaccines you need this year.