There are different types of vaccines. Each type is designed to teach your immune system how to fight certain types of germs and the serious illnesses they cause. When scientists create vaccines, they consider: How your immune system responds to the germ Who should be vaccinated against the germ The best technology or approach to create the vaccine Based on a number of these factors, scientists decide what type of vaccine to produce. There are 4 main types of vaccines: Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Live attenuated vaccines Inactivated vaccines Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide and conjugate vaccines Toxoid vaccines Live attenuated vaccines Live vaccines use a weakened (or attenuated) form of the germ that causes a disease. Because these vaccines are so similar to the natural infection they help prevent, they create a strong, long-lasting immune response. Just 1 or 2 doses of most live vaccines can give you lifelong protection against a germ and the disease it causes. But live vaccines also have some limitations. For example: Because they contain a small amount of the weakened live virus, some people should talk to their doctor before receiving them, such as people with weakened immune systems, long-term health problems, or people who have had an organ transplant. They have need to be kept cool, so they don't travel well. This means they cannot be used in countries with limited access to refrigerators. Live vaccines are used to protect against: Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR combination vaccine) Rotavirus Smallpox Chickenpox Yellow fever Shingles Inactivated vaccines Inactivated vaccines use the killed version of the germ that causes a disease. Inactivated vaccines usually do not provide as strong immunity (protection) as live vaccines. So you may need several doses over time (booster shots) to gain ongoing immunity against disease. Inactivated vaccines are used to protect against: Hepatitis AFflu (injection only) Poliomyelitis (injection only) Rabies Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide and conjugate vaccines Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide and conjugate vaccines use specific parts of the germ, such as its proteins, sugar or capsid (a shell around the germ). Because these vaccines only use specific parts of the germ, they give a very strong immune response targeting key parts of the germ. They can also be used on almost anyone who needs them, including people with weakened immune systems and long-term health problems. One limitation of these vaccines is that you may need booster doses to get continued protection against disease. These vaccines are used to protect against: Hib disease (Haemophilus influenzae type b) Hepatitis BHPV (human papillomavirus) Whooping cough (part of the DTaP combination vaccine) Pneumococcal diseaseMeningococcal disease Toxoid vaccines Toxoid vaccines use a toxin (harmful product) produced by the germ that causes an illness. They create immunity to the parts of the germ that cause disease rather than to the germ itself. This means that the immune response is targeted at the toxin rather than the entire germ. Like some other types of vaccines, you may need booster doses to get ongoing protection against disease. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Toxoid vaccines are used to protect against: Diphtheria Tetanus.