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Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Vaccines & Immunizations

Glossary & Acronyms:

Glossary of Terms & Acronyms of Vaccine-related Terms

Glossary of Terms

  • This vaccine-related glossary only contains terms associated with vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases and is maintained by CDC's National Center of Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD).
  • For information about other health issues, see CDC's "Health Topics A-Z".
  • Other CDC glossaries can be found via the CDC Search feature.

General Acronyms & Abbreviations used on this site

  • This general acronyms and abbreviations list shows acronyms and abbreviations used throughout this immunizations site (no vaccines are listed see separate listing on this page). UPDATEd Feb 2009
  • Other acronyms and abbreviations used on the CDC website can be found via the CDC Search feature.

Vaccine Abbreviations and Tradenames

  • Abbreviations used on immunization records
    The vaccine abbreviations page lists most abbreviations used for vaccines by healthcare professionals and those looking for "old" abbreviations used on immunization records. For example, Td=Adult Tetanus & Diphtheria Vaccine. UPDATED Feb 2009
    See also: "Translating Foreign Immunization Records" at bottom of this page.
  • Standardized U.S. vaccine abbreviations
    The U.S. Vaccine Abbreviations page is a table of standardized vaccine abbreviations that was developed jointly by CDC, ACIP, MMWR, etc. The chart shows the vaccine, trade/brand name, manufacturer, type, route, etc.UPDATED Feb 2009
    • The sortable U.S. vaccines page allows you to sort the entire list of U.S. vaccine abbreviations by name, abbreviation, trade name, or manufacturer.UPDATED Feb 2009
    • List of U.S. vaccines and related products sorted by the vaccine name Adobe Acrobat print-friendly PDF file (1 page) (34 KB, 1 page) and shows the brandname, manufacturer, type (e.g., inactivated), and supply (e.g., single-dose vial).  It also lists at the bottom of the page each vaccine company's contact information. UPDATED Feb 2009
  • Related pages include:

Foreign Language Immunization Terms

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This page last modified on June 1, 2010
Content last reviewed on February 17, 2009
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases

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Vaccines and Immunizations