There are different types of vaccines designed to teach the immune system how to fight with certain kinds of germs. When scientists are creating vaccines, they have to keep certain things in mind, like how the immune system responds to the germ? Who needs these vaccines?
Scientists also have to decide which type of vaccine they have to make. There are four main types of vaccines, like Live-attenuated, Inactivated, subunit/conjugate, and toxoid vaccines. These vaccines are further classified into different types of vaccines.
Live, attenuated
Live vaccines use attenuated or weakened germs that cause disease. Since these vaccines are similar to natural infection. Thus they create a long-lasting and robust response to the immune system. An appropriate dose of the live vaccine can protect you against the germs for a lifetime. Thus, the disease will not affect you for the rest of your life.
MMR Combined Vaccine
The vaccine protects you against measles, mumps, and rubella. The first dose is given to children around 9 to 15 months of age.
Varicella Vaccine
The vaccine protects you against chickenpox. One dose of the Varicella vaccine can save you 95% of the moderate diseases and 100% from severe infections. Vaccinating a large proportion of the population also protects those who are not immunized since the disease is contagious.
Influenza Vaccine
Since the influenza vaccine protects you against the flu. Thus these are known as flu shots or flu jabs. The influenza virus rapidly changes, so the new version of the vaccine developed twice a year.
Rotavirus Vaccine
Rotavirus vaccine protects you against rotavirus that causes fever, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Rotavirus makes thousands of babies and young children sick every year. It spreads from child to child.
Inactivated/killed
These vaccines use killed version of germs to protect you from diseases. They don’t strengthen your immune system like live-attenuated vaccines. They work as booster shots, which you have to take time to time to protect yourself from diseases.
Polio (IPV)
- A protective immune disease that induces low levels of immunity in the intestine
- Produces antibodies in the blood and protect against paralysis
Hepatitis A
Protects against Hepatitis A virus (HAV) spread through contaminated food and water
Toxoid
It is a vaccine made by toxins to protects you against various diseases like Diptheria and tetanus. These are protein-based toxins which are rendered harmless. The toxoid vaccines are harmless, and there is no revert back of virulence.
Subunit/conjugate
The vaccine uses specific pieces of germs like protein, sugar, or capsid. It protects you against hepatitis B, influenza, Pertussis, and Pneumococcal and Meningococcal. They give a powerful immune response to the targeted critical parts of the germs.
