Science and Technology › Health and disease
Vaccines and immunisation Vaccines and the programmes that deliver them: how vaccines are made and work, the national immunisation programme, new vaccines, and the alliances that fund vaccines for the world. Prelims has asked about COVID-19 vaccine platforms and why pneumococcal conjugate vaccines matter for India.
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mRNA vaccine A vaccine that delivers genetic instructions for a pathogen's protein, so the body's cells make it and train the immune system without live virus. Viral vector vaccine A vaccine that uses a harmless modified virus to carry a gene for the pathogen's protein into cells, which then make it. Serotype A variant within a microbial species, told apart by its surface antigens; immunity to one serotype need not protect against another. Reverse vaccinology Designing a vaccine by searching a pathogen's genome for proteins suitable to build it on. adjuvant A substance added to a vaccine to strengthen and lengthen the immune response to its main ingredient. Human papillomavirus A common sexually transmitted virus, whose high risk types cause cervical cancer where the infection persists. U-WIN The health ministry's digital platform, built on the Co-WIN model, for registering and tracking routine immunisation. Previous theme in this edition Communicable diseases, animal health and One Health Next theme in this edition Drugs, diagnostics and medical technology Practise previous year questions from this area Last updated 19 Sep 2026.
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