Live vaccine
Live vaccines contain pathogens that are capable of reproducing but have been attenuated. These can multiply, but generally no longer cause illness. Nevertheless, the immune system reacts to the attenuated pathogens in the vaccine by producing specific antibodies.
Advantages and disadvantages of live vaccines
- Advantage: Vaccination protection after a live vaccination lasts for a long time, in some cases even for life (after complete basic immunization).
Side effects typically occur one to two weeks after live vaccination!
Live vaccines and other vaccinations
Live vaccines can be given at the same time as other live vaccines. A well-known example is the basic immunization against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella – all of which are live vaccines. At the first vaccination appointment, children receive the MMR vaccine and a chickenpox vaccine at the same time. At the second vaccination appointment, a quadruple vaccine (MMRV).
The interval between two live vaccinations is necessary because certain processes could interfere with the buildup of immune protection. For example, the measles vaccine is thought to temporarily weaken the immune system. In addition, researchers assume that messenger substances released after a live vaccination prevent immune cells from taking up and reacting to further vaccine viruses injected too early.
Live vaccines and pregnancy
Live vaccines must not be administered during pregnancy. The attenuated pathogens could possibly harm the unborn child. Also, avoid becoming pregnant the four weeks following an appropriate immunization.
During breastfeeding, on the other hand, live vaccination is possible. Although the mother can transmit the vaccine viruses with her breast milk, this does not pose a risk to the child according to current knowledge.
Dead vaccine
There are different types of dead vaccine:
- Whole-particle vaccine: whole, killed/inactivated pathogens.
- Split vaccine: Inactive fragments of pathogens (thus often better tolerated)
- Polysaccharide vaccine: sugar chains from the pathogen shell (they activate the immune cells only to a limited extent and are therefore only sufficiently effective in older children and adults)
- Subunit vaccine (subunit vaccine): Contains only a specific protein portion (antigen) of the pathogen
- Toxoid vaccine: Inactive components of the pathogen toxins
- Adsorbate vaccine: Here the inactivated vaccine is additionally bound to adsorbents (e.g. aluminum hydroxide), which increases the immunization effect.
Advantages and disadvantages of inactivated vaccines
- Advantage: As a rule, inactivated vaccines have fewer side effects than live vaccines. Therefore, most vaccines today belong to this category. Unlike live vaccines, there is also no need to space them from other vaccines (see above).
Adverse side effects typically show up in the one to three days following vaccination with an inactivated vaccine!
Overview: Live and dead vaccines
The following table lists the major diseases for which a dead or live vaccine is available:
|
Dead vaccines |
Live vaccines |
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Measles |
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Mumps |
|
|
Rubella |
|
|
Influenza |
Chickenpox (varicella) |
|
Hepatitis A and B |
Typhoid (oral vaccination) |
|
HiB |
|
|
HPV |
|
|
Polio |
|
|
Whooping cough (pertussis) |
|
|
Meningococcal |
|
|
Pneumococcus |
|
|
Tetanus |
|
|
Rabies |
|