Difference Between Vaccination and Immunization
The act of giving a vaccine to a person is known as vaccination. A biological preparation known as a vaccination offers active acquired immunity to a specific disease. A small quantity of the disease-causing bacterium in weakened or dead form or a portion of its genetic material can be found in vaccines.
The immune system of the recipient mounts an immunological reaction to the foreign substance after receiving the vaccine because it detects it as such. This reaction aids in the development of the person’s immune system’s disease immunity, which implies that it will be able to combat the actual sickness if the person is exposed to it in the future.
What is Vaccination
A little amount of the virus or bacteria, or a protein that is similar to the pathogen, is included in vaccines. This causes the immune system to manufacture antibodies as though the body were actually fighting an infection.
By preventing the person from becoming unwell or by lessening the severity of the sickness, these antibodies offer immunity to the disease. There are several ways to administer vaccines, including injection, nasal spray, and oral tablets. Throughout history, vaccination has prevented the spread of contagious illnesses and saved countless lives.
What is Immunization
Immunization is the procedure of using a vaccine to protect a person from infection or disease. The immune system of the body is stimulated by vaccinations to make antibodies, which are proteins that aid in disease defense.
If a person has already been exposed to a vaccination, their immune system will be able to recognize and combat the disease more rapidly and successfully when they are exposed to it. This may lessen the severity of the sickness or help the person stay well. By halting the transmission of disease in the community, vaccination can protect not just the person receiving it but also those nearby.
Difference between vaccination and immunization
Vaccination and immunization are often used interchangeably, but they actually refer to two different concepts.
| Vaccination | Immunization |
| Vaccination is the act of administering a vaccine | Immunization is the process of becoming immune to a disease |
| Vaccination is a proactive measure | Immunization is a result |
| Vaccination involves the administration of a vaccine | Immunization can be achieved through vaccination or by contracting and surviving a disease |
Types of vaccines and methods of immunization
There are several different types of vaccines, which can be classified based on the microorganism they protect against, the way they are administered, and the way they are made.
Common types of vaccines
- Live attenuated vaccines: These have a living, although debilitated, version of the pathogen’s bacterium. Although live attenuated vaccinations are successful at immunizing recipients, they can potentially be dangerous for those with weakened immune systems or specific medical problems. Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines and oral polio vaccines are two examples of live attenuated vaccines.
- Inactivated vaccines: These have the disease-causing bacteria in a dead state. Although inactivated vaccinations may not offer as long-lasting immunity as live attenuated vaccines, they are typically safer. The hepatitis A vaccination and the flu shot are two examples of inactivated vaccines.
- Subunit vaccines: These merely include a portion of the pathogen, such as a protein or a carbohydrate. Although subunit vaccinations may not produce a significant immune response, whole-organism vaccines are typically safer. Hepatitis B and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations are two examples of subunit vaccines.
- Toxoid vaccines: These have a toxin inside of them that has been altered to be innocuous by a microbe. Instead of the disease-causing bacteria itself, toxoid vaccinations assist the body in developing immunity to the toxin.
Different methods of immunization
- Injection: This is the most popular vaccination technique, which entails injecting a vaccine using a needle and syringe.
- Oral: This approach is ingesting a vaccination orally, either as a liquid or pill.
- Nasal spray: Some immunizations, including the flu shot, are offered as nasal sprays.
- Topical: Some vaccines are given to the skin as a cream or patch, such the HPV vaccine.
- Intradermal: Instead of injecting a vaccination into the muscle, this approach uses the skin.
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