Vaccinations can be classified into several different types, with the different types providing your body and its immune system with the ability to fight off specific germs. Vaccines are used to protect our bodies against these germs that can cause serious diseases, and in some cases, even death. Vaccines are created taking into consideration how the immune system will respond to the germ, who needs to be protected from the germ and what the best approach and method is for the vaccine. The different types of vaccines include: • Inactivated vaccines use a dead, or inactive, specimen of the germ that causes the disease the vaccine is protecting against. Examples of inactive vaccines include polio, rabies, hepatitis A and the flu shot. These types of vaccines often require boosters. • Live-attenuated vaccines use a live, but weakened, specimen of the disease-causing germ. These vaccines provide long-lasting protection against diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, rotavirus, smallpox, chickenpox and yellow fever. • Messenger RNA vaccines (mRNA) have been in the works for several decades and don’t contain any live virus. So far, the only vaccine created using an mRNA vaccine has been certain types of COVID-19 vaccines. • Conjugate, polysaccharide, recombinant and subunit vaccines, viral vector vaccines are built using a specific part of the germ, such as a protein, sugar or capsid. They provide a strong immune response and are safe for almost everyone. Booster shots may be required with these types of vaccines. Common vaccines include Hepatitis B, HPV, whopping cough, pneumococcal disease, meningococcal disease and shingles. • Toxoid vaccines are made using a toxin from the germ responsible for the disease. These may also require a booster and include vaccines such as diptheria and tetanus. For more information on the types of vaccines available, and to find out if you are up to date on your immunizations, reach out to Boca Medical Care to review your history with one of our trained staff members.