vaccine

(noun)

A substance given to stimulate the body's production of antibodies providing immunity against a disease, prepared from the agent that causes the disease, or a synthetic substitute.

Related Terms

Examples of vaccine in the following topics:

  • Preventing Illness

    • Many vaccines are prophylactic vaccines.
    • Polio vaccine, smallpox vaccine, measles vaccine, mumps vaccine and others have greatly reduced many childhood diseases.
    • HPV vaccines prevent certain cancers, and the influenza vaccine prevents influenza.

  • The Health of Infants and Children

    • The World Health Organization has estimated that about 1.5 million children under age 5 years continue to die annually from diseases that are preventable via the administration of vaccines, making up approximately 20% of overall childhood mortality.
    • Vaccines can prevent pneumonia and diarrhea, the two leading causes of death among children under age 5.

  • HIV and AIDS

    • There is currently no publicly available HIV vaccine or cure for HIV or AIDS.

  • HIV and AIDS

    • There is no known cure for or vaccine against HIV, but antiretroviral treatment can slow the course of the disease and may lead to a near-normal life expectancy for people with HIV.

  • World Health Trends

    • In contrast, the diseases of poverty tend to consist largely of infectious diseases, often related to poor sanitation, low vaccination coverage, inadequate public health services, and weak enforcement of environmental health and safety regulations.