Understanding Types of Immunizations: A Comprehensive Guide
Live vaccines
- Contain weakened (attenuated) forms of the virus or bacteria that causes a disease.
- Examples: measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), varicella (chickenpox), rotavirus, polio
Inactivated vaccines
- Contain killed viruses or bacteria that have been chemically inactivated.
- Examples: polio, hepatitis A, rabies
Toxoid vaccines
- Contain inactivated toxins produced by bacteria.
- Examples: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough)
Subunit vaccines
- Contain purified pieces of a virus or bacteria.
- Examples: hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV)
Conjugate vaccines
- Combine a polysaccharide (a type of sugar) from the bacteria with a protein carrier.
- Examples: Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), meningococcal, pneumococcal
mRNA vaccines
- Contain messenger RNA (mRNA) that encodes the antigen of the virus or bacteria.
- Examples: COVID-19
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