Vaccination

The technique of giving a vaccine to boost the immune system and protect the body from particular infectious diseases is known as vaccination. Although vaccines do not spread diseases, they do include antigens that are either comparable to or derived from the infections they are intended to protect against.

Types of Vaccines

Live Attenuated Vaccines

• It contains pathogens in a weakened form that, although still capable of replicating, do not infect healthy people.
• Examples are varicella (chickenpox) vaccination and the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Inactivated (Killed) Vaccines

• It includes pathogens that have been rendered inactive or dead to prevent them from replicating.
• Hepatitis A vaccination and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) are two examples.

Subunit, Recombinant, and Conjugate Vaccines

• It includes fragments of the pathogen, as opposed to the whole microbe (such as sugar, protein, or capsid).
• Examples are the Hepatitis B vaccination and the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) Vaccines

• It contains mRNA responsible for encoding a viral protein. This mRNA is used by cells to make the protein, which in turn sets off an immunological reaction.
• COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna) are two examples.

Toxoid Vaccines

• It include toxins that have been rendered inactive by the infection. The immune system defeats the natural toxin.
• Examples: vaccinations against diphtheria and tetanus.

Also Read: Difference Between Vaccination and Immunization

Immunity is a defense mechanism of the body that is provided by the immune system and helps in fighting disease-causing organisms. There are two immunity types: innate and acquired immunity. Immunity-enhancing foods help boost the body’s immune system Vaccination also enhances immunity by exposing the immune system to harmless antigens, preparing it to give a quicker and stronger response upon encountering the disease-causing pathogen.

In this article, we will study immunity and its type, vaccination, and immunization.