Did you know that most of the ingredients in COVID-19 vaccines are also ingredients in common foods such as sugars, fats, and salts?
Despite the many great ways that vaccines have changed the world, there is a lot that people misunderstand about what they are and how they work.
Therefore, you are not alone if you don’t know about the various types of vaccines. To help you out, we have written a guide. Keep reading if you want to find out more.
Live-Attenuated Vaccines
These vaccines must be injected to be effective. They contain live versions of viruses and germs that create diseases in the body.
Even though the specimens that these vaccines contain are alive, they are weaker than the kinds of typical viruses and germs. This means that they will not create symptoms or cause infections.
These weakened germs are also not capable of reproducing.
It is possible to create live-attenuated vaccines for the purpose of helping people become immune to dangerous bacteria and viruses.
Live-attenuated vaccines will trigger the body to start producing memory B-cells. These are types of cells that are capable of recognizing and remembering certain viruses.
When these B-cells recognize a virus, they will create immune responses against it. Therefore, the human body will become resistant to these diseases.
It is important to understand that the viruses that these types of vaccines contain are not capable of spreading from one person to another.
The most common types of diseases that can be targeted with live-attenuated vaccines include measles, mumps, rubella, rotavirus, smallpox, chickenpox, and yellow fever.
If you have a weakened immune system or a chronic health condition, it is a good idea to let your healthcare professional know before receiving this type of vaccine.
Inactivated Vaccines
These are ideal vaccine options for those who want to be protected from diseases such as hepatitis A, the flu, polio, and rabies.
Inactivated vaccines work by using bacteria strains that scientists have killed with heat or chemicals.
These types of vaccines will need to be injected into somebody’s body. Inactivated vaccines were the first type of vaccine technology that scientists created.
They will not trigger immune responses that are as strong as other types of vaccines such as live-attenuated vaccines.
If you receive this type of vaccine, you will not have lifetime immunity to the disease that it is meant to protect against. This means that you will need to receive additional vaccines at least every couple of years.
People report having more side effects from inactivated vaccines than from other types of vaccines.
mRNA Vaccines
This type of vaccine represents a major breakthrough in vaccine science. Scientists have been developing them for several decades.
There are many great reasons that scientists choose to develop rRNA vaccines. Most importantly for manufacturers, it is possible to quickly produce them. And they have extremely low manufacturing costs.
They work by triggering immune responses from the proteins that they synthesize. Scientists produced the first mRNA vaccines in 2020 in order to provide protection against the COVID-19 virus.
Unfortunately, lots of people mistakingly believe that mRNA vaccines are capable of altering people’s DNA.
If you want to know more about mRNA vaccines, you should check out the work of Dr. Kenneth Chien.
DNA and Recombinant Vector Vaccines
These vaccines are also known as platform-based vaccines. DNA vaccines contain DNA. Its job is to produce specific antigens from germs.
After this vaccine gets injected into somebody’s body, it prompts the body to reproduce the germ’s DNA. The immune system will quickly recognize this DNA. It will then create antibodies to protect itself.
Most experts agree that DNA vaccines are more effective than antigen-based vaccines. This is because the body sometimes consumes antigens before the immune system is able to create antibodies.
Recombinant vector vaccines function as natural infections. They can effectively train the immune system to create full attacks against germs. They reproduce live viruses that contain additional genes.
These extra genes produce proteins. The immune system needs these proteins in order to recognize certain germs and protect the body against them.
Subunit, Conjugate, Recombinant, and Polysaccharide Vaccines
All of these types of vaccines use certain parts of germs and viruses. They are capable of triggering strong immune responses in the body.
One of the major downsides of these types of vaccines is that they don’t last very long. This is why it is necessary for people who receive them to receive additional vaccines at least every couple of years.
The most common diseases that these vaccines can protect against include hepatitis B, human papillomavirus, shingles, and whooping cough.
Subunit vaccines work by isolating certain antigens from a germ or a virus. Scientists choose these antigens based on the strength of the immune response that they generate.
Scientists make recombinant vaccines by doing genetic engineering. These altered genes will create proteins for certain viruses. It is necessary for scientists to place these proteins inside the genes of another cell.
When this cell reproduces, it will create vaccine proteins so that the body’s immune system will recognize the protein and start protecting itself against it.
Understand the Different Types of Vaccines
If you have been wondering what types of vaccines exist today, it is important to keep in mind that mRNA vaccines are one of the newest kinds of vaccines.
If you want to find out more about how to protect yourself against diseases, make sure to visit the Health section of our website.
