What Is A Vaccine Anyway?
- Medical Assistant
- March 11, 2024
- 2.7k views
- 2 min read
In a few months, the flu season will be upon us. And for those of you who opt to get the flu vaccine, ever wonder where the vaccine comes from?
According the Center for Disease Control, there are three types of vaccine manufacturing processes. Don’t be too alarmed, they sound worse than they really are and remember you cannot get the flu from the vaccine. More on this later.
The first type of vaccine is derived from an egg based process. The vaccine virus is grown in eggs and then injected into fertilized hen’s eggs. The virus is allowed to incubate and grow and then killed. This inactivated virus is made into a vaccine after purification. There is another type of egg based vaccine which is attenuated (weakened) which typically is used as the nasal spray vaccine.
The second type of vaccine is the cell based vaccine which begins with egg based vaccines. The virus is harvested and mixed with mammalian cells from either kidney cells or retinal cells. The virus laden substance is collected, purified and converted to a vaccine.
The third is a recombinant type vaccine. This type of vaccine is derived from a protein substance of the virus. This is then mixed with cells from incest and allowed to replicate. This type of vaccine is completely egg free.
Despite how gruesome the manufacturing process sounds, the vaccine is relatively safe and effective. For those in the healthcare fields and those in service industries, receiving the vaccine is of upmost importance. Flu is a killer, especially for anyone who may be immunologically comprised and the elderly. You cannot catch the flu from the vaccine, when you feel sick after receiving the vaccine is your body’s immune response protecting itself from the tiny bit of virus you received. Deciding to get vaccinated for the flu is a very private matter but now you know what is inside of the vaccine and how it is created.
If you are interested in the healthcare field, Call Northwest Career College today at 702-254-7577 and speak to one of our admissions counselors. We are waiting for you!
