vaccination

[vak-suh-ney-shuhn]

noun

Medicine/Medical.

1. the act or practice of vaccinating; inoculation with a vaccine.

vaccination

/ ˌvæksɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of vaccinating

2. the scar left following inoculation with a vaccine

vaccination

1. Inoculation with a vaccine in order to protect against a particular disease.

2. A scar left on the skin by vaccinating.

vaccination

1. Inoculation with a vaccine to produce immunity to a particular infectious disease.

Other Word Forms

• antivaccination adjective
• nonvaccination noun
• postvaccination adjective
• prevaccination noun
• provaccination adjective
• revaccination noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vaccination¹

First recorded in 1800–10; vaccine + -ation

Example Sentences

In 1991 there were still 30,000 cases of children under 10 with hepatitis B, resulting in the government expanding the vaccination policy to include all newborns.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Beyond vaccination, other academic researchers have archived federal environmental and health data, re-created searchable data tools, and sent out measles outbreak reports usually distributed by the CDC.

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The agency’s broader recommendations in the past, he said, “deterred healthcare providers from talking about the risks and benefits of vaccination for the individual patient or parent.”

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But when they turn up for their vaccinations pharmacies are only able to give them the flu jab.

Read more on BBC

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced changes to the recommended vaccination schedule for adults against COVID-19 and for kids against chickenpox.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

When To Use

What’s the difference between vaccination, inoculation, and immunization?

In the context of medicine, the words vaccination, inoculation, and immunization are often used in overlapping ways, and for good reason—they all involve the process of introducing a substance (especially a vaccine) into a person’s body with the goal of preventing them from getting a particular disease.Vaccination is the most specific of the three terms, because it always involves introducing a vaccine, which usually consists of a small amount of a killed, weakened, or otherwise modified version of a disease (such as a virus or bacterium). While inoculation has other meanings outside the context of medicine, in modern healthcare it’s typically used interchangeably with vaccination (though it’s used less commonly).Immunization is slightly different—it refers to the process of providing immunity from a specific disease. While the goal of vaccinating someone is often to immunize them, not all vaccines provide permanent immunity. Some vaccines provide what amounts to long-term immunity, while others only lead to a temporary protection, after which the body “forgets” how to make certain antibodies. In these cases, a booster shot or dose is often required, consisting of a follow-up vaccination to boost or renew the protection gained from the earlier vaccination.Both vaccination and inoculation can refer to a shot or dose, as opposed to the process of providing or receiving such doses, as in I’m scheduled to get a vaccination on Friday. The word immunization can be used in the same way to refer to such a vaccination when it’s one that provides immunity, as in Have you received all of your immunizations?Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between vaccinate, inoculate, and immunize.