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	WHO > Health topics > Vaccines

Vaccines

A vaccine is any preparation intended to produce immunity to a disease by stimulating the production of antibodies. Vaccines include, for example, suspensions of killed or attenuated microorganisms, or products or derivatives of microorganisms. The most common method of administering vaccines is by injection, but some are given by mouth or nasal spray.

In focus
Vaccines for pandemic (H1N1) 2009

RELATED SITES

- Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals
- Immunization surveillance, assessment and monitoring
- Injection safety
- Immunization service delivery and accelerated disease control
- Immunization financing, supply and procurement
- Immunization financing
- Vaccine safety (Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety)
- Vaccine research and development (Initiative for Vaccine Research)
- New and Under-ulitized Vaccines Implementation (NUVI)
- Biologicals
- Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health (CIPIH)
- Vaccines (European Region)
- Vaccines and immunization (Region of the Americas - PAHO)
- New vaccines (African Region)
- Immunization and vaccine development (South-East Asia Region)
- Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI)