Inactivated vaccine

Inactivated Vaccine

An Inactivated Vaccine (pronunciation: in-ak-ti-vay-ted vak-seen) is a type of vaccine that contains virus particles, bacteria, or other pathogens that have been grown in culture and then killed using a method such as heat or formaldehyde.

Etymology

The term "Inactivated Vaccine" is derived from the word 'inactivate', which means to render non-functional or ineffective, and 'vaccine', which is derived from the Latin word 'vaccinus', meaning 'from cows'. This is a reference to the first vaccine, which was developed using cowpox to provide immunity against smallpox.

Related Terms

Live Attenuated Vaccine: A type of vaccine that uses a weakened form of the pathogen that causes the disease.
Subunit, Recombinant, Polysaccharide, and Conjugate Vaccines: These are types of vaccines that use specific pieces of the pathogen, such as its protein, sugar, or capsid.
Toxoid Vaccines: These are vaccines that use a toxin made by the germ that causes a disease.
Messenger RNA (mRNA) Vaccines: These are a new type of vaccine to protect against infectious diseases.

Usage

Inactivated vaccines are used to protect against diseases such as Influenza, Hepatitis A, Polio, and Rabies. They are especially useful in people who have a weakened immune system, long-term health problems, or people who have a life-threatening allergy to the live vaccine.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Inactivated vaccines do not produce the same strong or long-term immune response as live vaccines. Therefore, you may need several doses over time (booster shots) to get ongoing immunity against diseases.

However, they have the advantage of being stable, which makes them easier to store and transport in comparison to live vaccines. They are also safer to use in people with weakened immune systems.