As we now enter the latter half of 2021, “COVID-19 vaccine” is a medical term recognized by many people around the world. But, do you know what a “vaccine”, or immunization, actually is? Immunization is the process of becoming protected against a disease. But it can also mean the same thing as vaccination, which is getting a vaccine to become protected against a disease.
Vaccines are injections (shots), liquids, pills, or nasal sprays that you take to teach your body’s immune system to recognize and defend against harmful germs. For example, there are vaccines to protect against viruses, like the ones that cause the flu and COVID-19. Some vaccines protect against bacteria, such as tetanus. Vaccines work in different ways, but they all spark an immune response. An immune response is the way your body defends itself against substances it sees as foreign or harmful. These substances include viruses and bacteria that can cause disease.
Vaccines are important because they protect you against many diseases. These diseases can be very serious. Getting immunity from a vaccine is safer than getting immunity by being sick with the disease.
What are the types of vaccines?
There are several types of vaccines:
- Live-attenuated vaccines use a weakened form of the germ
- Inactivated vaccines use a killed version of the germ
- Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines use only specific pieces of the germ, such as its protein, sugar, or casing
- Toxoid vaccines that use a toxin (harmful product) made by the germ
- mRNA vaccines use messenger RNA, which gives your cells instructions for how to make a protein or (piece of a protein) of the germ
- Viral vector vaccines use genetic material, which gives your cells instructions for making a protein of the germ. These vaccines also contain a different, harmless virus that helps get the genetic material into your cells.
What is a vaccine schedule?
- A vaccine, or immunization, schedule lists which vaccines are recommended for different groups of people. It includes who should get the vaccines, how many doses they need, and when they should get them. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes the vaccine schedule.
- It’s important for both children and adults to get their vaccines according to the schedule. Following the schedule allows them to get protection from the diseases at exactly the right time.
Easy-to-read vaccination schedules, to protect you and your child’s health, are available at:
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules
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