This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Live, attenuated vaccines

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Live vaccines consist of viable micro-organisms of attenuated virulence. The replication of these organisms within the body, provides a powerful stimulus to the immune system, without causing a significant illness in immune-competent individuals. Effective immunity therefore often follows a single dose.

Live, attenuated vaccines licensed in the UK include prior to 2013:

  • measles, mumps and rubella
  • BCG
  • poliomyelitis - oral Sabin vaccine
  • yellow fever

Oral typohid is a live vaccine but only available in the US and Australia.

Previously the list of live vaccines in the UK was usefully remembered with mnemonic MMR BOY, where the O stands for oral polio.

However now other live vaccines are used in the UK:

  • herpes zoster (shingles) vaccine
  • live attenuated intranasal influenza vaccine - Fluenz

Reference:

  • Levin MJ et al.Varicella-zoster virus-specific immune responses in elderly recipients of a herpes zoster vaccine. J Infect Dis. 2008 Mar 15;197(6):825-35
  • Immunisation Against Infectious Disease - "The Green Book". Chapter 19. Influenza (September 2013)

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.