ENGLISH
REFERENCE

vaccination

n. C / U
B1 Intermediate US //væksəˈneɪʃən// UK //vˌæksɪnˈeɪʃən// vac·ci·na·tion

n. the act of getting a medical treatment, usually a needle, to protect you from a specific disease. It helps your body learn how to fight off germs before you get sick.

n. the administration of a vaccine to stimulate an individual's immune system to develop adaptive immunity against a specific pathogen.


SIMPLE

The doctor gives the vaccination in the upper arm.

CONTEXTUAL

Public health officials recommend a flu vaccination every autumn to protect against the most common seasonal strains.

COMPLEX

Widespread vaccination programs have successfully eradicated smallpox and significantly reduced the global incidence of polio, demonstrating the efficacy of collective preventative medicine.

Synonyms
Origin

From vaccinia, a cowpox infection. Ultimately from Latin vacca (“cow”). Coined by Edward Jenner (1749-1823) in 1798. Jenner infected people with weakened cowpox viruses (vaccinia), to immunise them against smallpox. It is now known that vaccinia and cow pox are separate conditions, but at the time of Jenner, they were considered the same condition.

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the general practice or medical concept; countable when referring to a specific instance or type of shot.

Pitfall

I had a vaccination for the fluI had a vaccination against the fluWhile 'for' is common in casual speech, 'against' is the more precise preposition for protection from a disease.

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