Vaccination is the process of getting immunized from various fatal diseases. It is a protective measure that specifically builds the immune system by preparing targeted antibodies against the disease. This involves the process of administration of traces amount antigenic determinant to prevent specific disease to develop. It is an effective way of imparting immunity that slowly targets to eradicate the disease.

Through vaccination, polio, smallpox, measles could be successfully eradicated.

What does the vaccine contain?
Vaccines are composed of various components that serve a specific purpose, these include the following.

• Antigens – Antigenic determinant is the trace amount of attenuated germs that are responsible to cause the disease. These can be bacteria or virus determinants.
• Adjuvant – These are the substrates that boost up the immune system. It is long lasting as it implicit slow release from the site of administration. These chemicals generally include Alum.
• Stabilizers – These are the gelatin and sugar residues that are added to the vaccine that enables the vaccine to be stored for long. It does not interfere with the active ingredients and does not allow the component to change.
• Preservatives – The most common preservative used is thimerosal that does not allow the surrounding factors to affect the vaccine like changing temperature and bacterial or viral agents. These preservatives are added to those vaccines that need to be administered more than once.
• Inactivating agent – These are the germ-killing agents like the formaldehyde that does not allow the bacteria or virus to return to its activated form.
• Antibiotics – Vaccination also includes the antibiotics that restrict the surrounding microorganism to interact with the components of the vaccine.
• Culture medium – The culture medium may be also added to the vaccine to keep the antigenic determinant stay functional for a long period.

What are the diseases for which one can be vaccinated?
Vaccination helps to protect from the serious instances of the disease. Some of the diseases that can be prevented through vaccination are as follows:

• Chickenpox is one of the widespread contiguous diseases that can be prevented through vaccination. This requires the administration of two doses of vaccine in the lifetime of an individual. It has been found that the prevention level through vaccination is 94%. Mainly there are two vaccines available- chickenpox vaccines and the MMRV vaccines that collectively prevent measles, rubella, chickenpox, and mumps.
• The occurrence of diphtheria has seen to drop with the introduction of vaccination by 99.9%. It constitutes four types of vaccines- DTaP, DT, Tdap and Td vaccines. These vaccines are identified to combat with diphtheria, whooping cough, and tetanus.
• Measles can be prevented using two vaccines namely the MMR and MMRV vaccines. It reduces the risk by 99%
• One of the orally administered vaccines is the rotavirus vaccine. It affects mainly in infants.

What are the vaccines given to different people?

• There are different vaccines available for the different age group. The infants up to the age of 6 need to be administered with chicken pox, whooping cough, and measles vaccines.
• Teens and pre-teens aged between 7 to 16 years to be vaccinated for meningitis, whooping cough, flu, and human papillomavirus.
• Pregnant women without having the history of having rubella and hepatitis B should get themselves vaccinated. As the disease may cause lifelong complication in the child.
• Health care practitioners who are responsible to work with the body fluid should be immunized from hepatitis, chicken pox and flu.