vaccine
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vaccine
A medical substance that is administered to the body in order to trigger an immune response and thereby protect against a specific infectious disease.
Die Forscher haben einen neuen Impfstoff gegen Malaria entwickelt.
The researchers have developed a new vaccine against malaria.
'Impfstoff' (vaccine) is a compound noun made from the verb stem 'impf-' (from 'impfen', to vaccinate) and the noun 'der Stoff' (substance/material). So it is literally a 'substance for vaccinating'.
Lassen Sie uns über die Vorteile des Impfens sprechen.
Let's talk about the benefits of vaccination.
To name the disease that the vaccine protects against, German uses the preposition 'gegen' followed by the accusative.
Gibt es schon einen wirksamen Impfstoff gegen diese Krankheit?
Is there already an effective vaccine against this disease?
In connection with 'Impfstoff' (vaccine), specific verbs are often used: researchers 'entwickeln' (develop) it, companies 'stellen ihn her' (produce it), and doctors 'verabreichen' (administer) it.
Das Pharmaunternehmen stellt den neuen Impfstoff in großen Mengen her.
The pharmaceutical company produces the new vaccine in large quantities.
medication
'das Medikament' and 'der Impfstoff' are both medical substances. 'Medikament' is the general term for medicines that can treat, relieve, or also prevent illnesses. 'Impfstoff' is more specific: it is given so that the body builds up protection against a particular infectious disease. Learners may confuse the words because both are used in medicine. As a practical rule: when talking about a current illness, you usually use 'Medikament'. When talking about protection through vaccination, you use 'Impfstoff'.
Im Gespräch erklärt die Ärztin, welcher Impfstoff für die Kinder empfohlen wird.
During the conversation, the doctor explains which vaccine is recommended for the children.
In der Schule muss das Medikament des Kindes kühl gelagert werden.
At school, the child's medication has to be kept cool.