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Vaccine Educational Materials

The Vaccine Education Center provides informational materials in both English and Spanish.

Vaccine Trivia Corner

What two vaccines prevent diseases transmitted by mosquitoes?

The yellow fever vaccine prevents yellow fever, and the Japanese encephalitis virus vaccine prevents Japanese encephalitis virus. Both yellow fever and the Japanese encephalitis virus are transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Both vaccines are recommended for travelers to countries with a higher risk of transmission of these diseases.

See where these vaccines are recommended»

What vaccine, other than the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, prevents a form of cancer?

In addition to the HPV vaccine, the hepatitis B vaccine also prevents cancer. The hepatitis B vaccine prevents liver cancer caused by infection with hepatitis B; it was the first cancer-prevention vaccine available.

Some diseases are only found in humans; however, influenza can infect many types of animals. Which animals can also get influenza?

In addition to humans, influenza also infects:

What vaccine for teens prevents a coughing disease that can be fatal in infants?

The Tdap vaccine protects against three bacterial infections: tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, also known as whooping cough. The severe coughing spasms and thick, sticky mucus caused by pertussis can be fatal in infants as they labor to breathe against a narrowed windpipe.

Unlike most other infections that are transmitted from children to adults, pertussis tends to be passed from older children and adults to infants; therefore, the Tdap vaccine is an important tool in stemming transmission to the youngest members of our families and communities.

Learn more about:

Problems with which vaccine led to the “Cutter Incident”?

Problems with an early version of the inactivated polio vaccine (shot) led to the Cutter Incident. To read an in-depth description of what happened, check out the book The Cutter Incident: How America’s First Polio Vaccine Led to the Growing Vaccine Crisis, written by Paul Offit, MD, and published by Yale University Press in 2005.

Which vaccine-preventable disease is sometimes referred to as the “100-day cough"?

Pertussis or whooping cough is sometimes referred to as the “100-day cough” because people with pertussis can cough for months after having the initial infection.

What famous author nearly died after intentionally exposing himself to a friend with measles?

Mark Twain nearly died from a measles infection after intentionally exposing himself to the disease when his friend Will Bowen was infected.

Vaccine given orally or by shot

The vaccine for polio is available in two formulations: The polio shot, currently used in the US, contains killed polio viruses. The oral version contains live, weakened polio viruses, and although it is no longer used in the US, this version is still used in many other countries throughout the world.

Disease that could be prevented by a vaccine, but isn’t?

A vaccine was available to protect against Lyme disease between 1998 and 2002 but was removed from the market due to low interest in use and unfounded safety concerns. Each year, about 20,000 people get Lyme disease in the U.S. while the technology sits unused.

Learn more about Lyme disease»

Which vaccine-preventable disease is not affected by herd immunity?

Tetanus is not affected by herd immunity. Because tetanus is not passed from one person to another, it does not matter how many people around you are immunized. Your risk of disease remains the same.

What disease did parents want their children to share before the vaccine was available?

Before the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine became available, parents wanted their children to catch chickenpox when others in the house or neighborhood had it. Unfortunately, some parents still try to have their children intentionally exposed in order to avoid getting a vaccine. Since some children suffer complications and die from the disease, this is not the safest choice. Learn more about varicella and the vaccine»

Which three countries have not yet successfully controlled transmission of polio virus through vaccination?

The three countries that have not successfully eradicated polio yet include Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. 

Antigens are the parts of vaccines that cause an immune response. Who do you think received more antigens from vaccines: children in the 1940s or children today?

Although children in the 1940s only received vaccines to prevent four diseases, they got about 3,200 antigens whereas today’s children receive vaccines to prevent 14 diseases but only get about 156 antigens. Scientific understanding of immunology and technological advances in the laboratory have allowed scientists and manufacturers to make vaccines that are more purified and contain fewer antigens while still affording immune protection.  

Which disease is known to be more commonly spread from adults to children as compared with the usual direction of transmission from children to adults?

Pertussis is spread more commonly from adults to children.

Which vaccine is given to girls to protect their future unborn babies?

The rubella vaccine is given to girls to protect their future unborn babies. Clinically, rubella takes two forms—rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). While rubella is acquired when someone comes into contact with the saliva of an infected person, such as through coughs or sneezes, CRS occurs when a pregnant woman is infected with rubella. About 85 of 100 babies of women infected during the first trimester of pregnancy will be born with abnormalities such as deafness; cataracts or other eye damage; heart defects; mental retardation; damage to liver, spleen, or skeleton; diabetes; and autism.

Boys are immunized to protect their future partners and to help decrease transmission of disease in the community.

Which vaccine-preventable disease is also known as German measles?

The disease also known as German measles is rubella.

Development of which vaccine slowed after the invention of antibiotics?

Development of the pneumococcal vaccine slowed after the invention of antibiotics which could treat pneumococcal infections. However, as doctors realized that some pneumococcal infections were no longer responding to antibiotics, development of a vaccine again became a priority. 

Which vaccine may be updated each year in response to changes in the virus it protects against?

The vaccine that may be changed as often as every year is the influenza vaccine. These updates are necessary because as the virus replicates, it changes itself. These changes are significant enough that a protective vaccine one year may not work the next year. 

Whooping cough is the common name for what vaccine-preventable disease?

Whooping cough is the common name for pertussis; it comes from the sound that children make when they try to breathe air in against their narrowed windpipe. The windpipe is clogged by thick, sticky mucus resulting from toxins made by the bacteria.

What is the only disease to be eradicated from the world by a vaccine?

Smallpox has been eradicated from the world through widespread vaccine use. The disease was both dreaded and deadly in its day; in fact, 3 of every 10 people who got smallpox died. 

Edward Jenner was the first to realize that because of their exposure to cowpox, milkmaids were immune when smallpox outbreaks occurred.  He began arm-to-arm inoculations by taking pus from the scab of a person and transferring it to another. By the 1940s, technology allowed for large-scale growth of cowpox and subsequent immunization of entire populations. 

The last case of natural smallpox occurred in Somalia in 1977. Smallpox virus now only exists in two laboratories in the world and is heavily guarded as it is considered a possible agent of bioterrorism. 

Which vaccine is required for entry into certain countries?

Proof of having received the yellow fever vaccine is required for entry into certain countries.

What vaccine is available as both a shot and a nasal spray, but not as an oral vaccine?

The influenza vaccine is available as a shot and a nasal spray, but not by mouth.

While most vaccines are not given to pregnant women, which one is recommended for pregnant women?

While pregnant women are advised to wait until after giving birth to get most vaccines, the influenza vaccine is specifically recommended during pregnancy. This is because women are at an increased risk of suffering complications and hospitalization if they become ill with influenza while pregnant. Pregnant women are at increased risk because they:

 

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