Vaccine efficacy
Vaccine Efficacy
Vaccine efficacy (pronunciation: /ˈvæksiːn ˈɛfɪkəsi/) is a measure of the effectiveness of a vaccine in preventing a particular infection or disease. It is usually expressed as a percentage, where a higher percentage indicates a greater ability of the vaccine to prevent the disease.
Etymology
The term "vaccine efficacy" is derived from the Latin vaccinus meaning "of or from the cow", referring to the use of cowpox virus in the first vaccines, and the Latin efficacia meaning "effectiveness".
Definition
Vaccine efficacy is defined as the proportionate reduction in disease among the vaccinated group compared to an unvaccinated or placebo group under optimal conditions, such as in a clinical trial. It is calculated using the formula:
- Vaccine efficacy = (attack rate in the unvaccinated group - attack rate in the vaccinated group) / attack rate in the unvaccinated group x 100%
Related Terms
- Vaccine effectiveness: This is a measure of how well a vaccine works in real-world conditions, as opposed to the controlled conditions of a clinical trial.
- Immunization: This is the process by which a person is made immune or resistant to an infectious disease, typically by the administration of a vaccine.
- Herd immunity: This is a form of indirect protection from infectious disease that occurs when a large percentage of a population has become immune to an infection, thereby providing a measure of protection for individuals who are not immune.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Vaccine efficacy
- Wikipedia's article - Vaccine efficacy
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski