Types Of Vaccines

An antigenic preparation that is used to establish the immunity to a disease is termed a vaccine. The word vaccine is coined from Edward Jenner’s use of the word cow pox. The part of the word vaccine, vacca means cow in the Latin language. The microbe causing cowpox when administered to humans provided them protection against the microbes of smallpox. Louis Pasture and Edward Jenner who laid the foundation of the medical concept of vaccination realized that milkmaids who were in the daily contact with the microbes of cowpox never suffered from the disease of smallpox. The basis of vaccination lies in the Chinese concept of variolation. In the process of variolation the person is purposely infected with the microbes of a particular disease. The term vaccination means the process of distribution and administration of the vaccine.

The four most common and important types of the vaccines are explained as follows.

The first type of the vaccine is the vaccine that contains bacteria and viruses that are altered and do not cause any kind of disease. These kind of vaccines are known as “Live attenuated” vaccines. Some of the common examples of the live attenuated vaccines are as follows.

* Measles vaccines

* Mumps vaccines

* Rubella vaccine which is more commonly known as the German Measles

* Oral Polio vaccine which is also known as the OPV

* Varicella which is commonly known as chickenpox vaccine

The second type of vaccines is the ones that contain killed or inactivated bacteria and viruses. These kinds of viruses are commonly known as “killed vaccines”. The names of the important “Killed vaccines” are as follows.

* Inactivated Polio Vaccine, IPV for short

* Inactivated influenza vaccine

The third kinds of vaccines are the “Toxoid vaccines” these vaccines contain toxins or poisons that are produced by viruses, bacteria, and germs etc. that have been made harmless. The following are the examples of the Toxoid vaccines

* Diphtheria toxoid vaccine, DTP in short

* Tetanus toxoid vaccine

The last and the fourth type of vaccines are known as the “component vaccines”. These vaccines contain parts of the whole bacteria, viruses or germs. The following are the examples of the component vaccines.

* Haemophilus influenza type b vaccine

* Hepatitis B Hep B vaccine

* Hepatitis A Hep A vaccine

* Pneumoccocal conjugate vaccine

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