Vaccination is a constantly debated and somewhat controversial subject. August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and so it seems appropriate to share some facts on immunization and vaccination! First off, what’s the difference between vaccination and immunization? A vaccine is a product given through vaccination—and injection into the body of a very tiny amount of an organism that causes a disease. This vaccine is a weakened or “killed” version of the virus or bacteria. A vaccination causes immunization—immunization happens within the body, by stimulating an immune response and creating immunity to the disease that was vaccinated against. Still with me? I hope so! Note that sometimes, immunization is not started by an injection. For example, some new immunizations can be given in nasal sprays, such as the