I'm going to be touching on one of the most controversial topics, vaccines, so please be kind, followed by a brief on viruses. What is a vaccine? By definition, a vaccine is an inactive or weakened virus used to strengthen our immune system, so our white blood cells (aka WBC immune system soldiers) identify and attacks the virus (Webster, 2026). The creation of the smallpox vaccine in 1796 was the very start of the journey in creating a healthier and longer life (immunize.org