Chapter 116. Immunization Principles and Vaccine Use (Part 4)

Principles of Vaccine Use Route of Administration Microbes differ in their routes of infection, patterns of transmission, and predispositions for certain age groups. The route of vaccine administration (oral, intranasal, intradermal, transdermal, subcutaneous, or intramuscular) takes these factors into account in order to maximize protection and minimize adverse events. Vaccine development is more a pragmatic undertaking than an exact science, guided only in part by immunologic principles and shaped largely by the results of clinical trials. While vaccines can theoretically be given by any route, each vaccine has unique characteristics adapted to a particular route and, in practice, must be given...