Vaccines are a form of medical technology that has been used for centuries to prevent the spread of disease. Vaccines are made from a weakened or killed form of a particular virus or bacteria, and when injected into the body, they help to stimulate the body’s immune system to fight off that virus or bacteria. Live vaccines, on the other hand, are made from a live form of the virus or bacteria.
What is a Vaccine?
A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins, or one of its surface proteins. The agent stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and to further recognize and destroy any of the microorganisms associated with that agent that it may encounter in the future.
What is a Live Vaccine?
A live vaccine is a form of a vaccine that is made from a live form of a virus or bacteria. These vaccines are made from attenuated, or weakened, forms of the microbe, which are still capable of replicating in the body but lack the ability to cause disease. Live vaccines are usually more effective than other vaccines because they are able to more closely replicate the effects of a real infection, and are therefore able to better stimulate the body’s immune system to fight off the virus or bacteria.