Vaccination

Vaccination is a term coined by Edward Jenner for the process of administering live, albeit weakened, microbes to patients, with the intent of conferring immunity against a targeted form of a related disease agent. Vaccination (Latin: vacca—cow) is so named because the first vaccine was derived from a virus affecting cows: the cowpox virus, a relatively benign virus that, in its weakened form, provides a degree of immunity to smallpox, a fairly contagious disease that is sometimes deadly to humans. In common speech, 'vaccination' and 'immunization' generally have the same colloquial meaning.

Related Topics:
Edward Jenner - Latin - Cow - Vaccine - Virus - Cowpox - Smallpox

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