Variola Vaccine (Noun)
Meaning
A local infection induced in humans by inoculation with the virus causing cowpox in order to confer resistance to smallpox; normally lasts three weeks and leaves a pitted scar.
Classification
Nouns denoting natural processes.
Examples
- The variola vaccine was first developed by Edward Jenner in 1796 and was a major breakthrough in the fight against smallpox.
- Before the widespread use of the variola vaccine, smallpox was a major cause of illness and death throughout the world.
- The variola vaccine was typically administered by scratching the skin with a needle coated with the virus, causing a local infection that would confer immunity to smallpox.
- The variola vaccine was used to eradicate smallpox, with the last naturally occurring case reported in 1977.
- The use of the variola vaccine led to the development of modern vaccine technology and paved the way for the creation of vaccines against other diseases.