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Vaccine Types
There are several different types of vaccines. Each type is designed to teach your immune
system how to fight off certain kinds of germs—and the serious diseases they cause.

When scientists create vaccines, they consider:

How your immune system responds to the germ

Who needs to be vaccinated against the germ

The best technology or approach to create the vaccine

Based on a number of these factors, scientists decide which type of vaccine they will
make. There are several types of vaccines, including:

Inactivated vaccines

Live-attenuated vaccines

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines

Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines

 Toxoid vaccines

Viral vector vaccines

Inactivated vaccines
Inactivated vaccines use the killed version of the germ that causes a disease.

Inactivated vaccines usually don’t provide immunity (protection) that’s as strong as live
vaccines. So you may need several doses over time (booster shots) in order to get ongoing
immunity against diseases.

Inactivated vaccines are used to protect against:

Hepatitis A </immunization/diseases/hepatitis-a/index.html>

Flu </immunization/diseases/flu/index.html> (shot only)

Polio </immunization/diseases/polio/index.html> (shot only)

Rabies </immunization/diseases/rabies/index.html>

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 that they help prevent, they
create a strong and long-lasting immune response. Just 1 or 2 doses of most live vaccines
can give you a lifetime of 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 health care provider before receiving them, such as people with weakened
immune systems, long-term health problems, or people who’ve had an organ
transplant.

They need to be kept cool, so they don’t travel well. That means they can’t be used in
countries with limited access to refrigerators.
Live vaccines are used to protect against:

Measles </immunization/diseases/measles/index.html>, mumps

</immunization/diseases/mumps/index.html>, rubella </immunization/diseases/rubella/index.html>
(MMR combined vaccine)

Rotavirus </immunization/diseases/rotavirus/index.html>

Smallpox <https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/vaccine-basics/index.html>

Chickenpox </immunization/diseases/chickenpox/index.html>

Yellow fever </immunization/diseases/yellow-fever/index.html>

Messenger RNA vaccines—also called mRNA

vaccines
Researchers have been studying and working with mRNA vaccines
<https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html> for decades and this
technology was used to make some of the COVID-19 vaccines. mRNA vaccines make
proteins in order to trigger an immune response. mRNA vaccines have several benefits
compared to other types of vaccines, including shorter manufacturing times and, because
they do not contain a live virus, no risk of causing disease in the person getting
vaccinated.

mRNA vaccines are used to protect against:

COVID-19 </immunization/diseases/covid/index.html>

Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and

conjugate vaccines
Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines use specific pieces of the
germ—like its protein, sugar, or capsid (a casing around the germ).

Because these vaccines use only specific pieces of the germ, they give a very strong
immune response that’s targeted to key parts of the germ. They can also be used on
almost everyone 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 shots to get ongoing
protection against diseases.

These vaccines are used to protect against:

Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) disease </immunization/diseases/hib/index.html>

Hepatitis B </immunization/diseases/hepatitis-b/index.html>

HPV (Human papillomavirus) </immunization/diseases/hpv/index.html>

Whooping cough </immunization/diseases/pertussis/index.html> (part of the DTaP combined

vaccine)

Pneumococcal disease </immunization/diseases/pneumonia/index.html>

Meningococcal disease </immunization/diseases/meningococcal/index.html>

Shingles </immunization/diseases/shingles/index.html>

Toxoid vaccines
Toxoid vaccines use a toxin (harmful product) made by the germ that causes a disease.
They create immunity to the parts of the germ that cause a disease instead of the germ
itself. That means the immune response is targeted to the toxin instead of the whole germ.

Like some other types of vaccines, you may need booster shots to get ongoing protection
against diseases.

Toxoid vaccines are used to protect against:

Diphtheria </immunization/diseases/diphtheria/index.html>

Tetanus </immunization/diseases/tetanus/index.html>
Viral vector vaccines
For decades, scientists studied viral vector vaccines. Some vaccines recently used for
Ebola outbreaks have used viral vector technology, and a number of studies have focused
on viral vector vaccines against other infectious diseases such as Zika, flu, and HIV.
Scientists used this technology to make COVID-19 vaccines as well.

Viral vector vaccines use a modified version of a different virus as a vector to deliver
protection. Several different viruses have been used as vectors, including influenza,
vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), measles virus, and adenovirus, which causes the common
cold. Adenovirus is one of the viral vectors used in some COVID-19 vaccines being studied
in clinical trials. Viral vector vaccines are used to protect against:

COVID-19 </immunization/diseases/covid/index.html>

The future of vaccines

Did you know that scientists are still working to create new types of vaccines?
Here are 2 exciting examples:

DNA vaccines are easy and inexpensive to make—and they produce strong,
long-term immunity.

Recombinant vector vaccines (platform-based vaccines) act like a natural

infection, so they're especially good at teaching the immune system how to
fight germs.

Learn more about:

Types of vaccines <https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/vaccine-types>

Types of vaccines routinely given to children
<https://www.fda.gov/biologicsbloodvaccines/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm345587.htm#types>

Research on new vaccines

<https://www.fda.gov/biologicsbloodvaccines/scienceresearch/ucm234680.htm>
 Understanding How COVID-19 Vaccines Work <https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-
ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/how-they-
work.html#:~:text=vector%20vaccines%20contain%20a%20weakened,is%20called%20a%20viral%20vector>

Get Immunized
Getting immunized is easy. Vaccines and preventive antibodies are available at the
doctor’s office or pharmacies — and are usually covered by insurance.

Find out how to get protected </immunization/get-vaccinated/index.html>.

Want to learn about the journey of your child’s

vaccine?
See how vaccines are developed, approved, and monitored
<https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/infographics/journey-of-child-vaccine.html>.

Content created by Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP)

Content last reviewed December 22, 2022