Glossary of Vaccine-related Terms & Acronyms

CDC uses words, abbreviations, and phrases that may not be familiar to everyone. These resources can help you understand the scientific and technological language on our site.

Glossary of Terms

• This vaccine-related glossary only contains terms associated with vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases. It 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

• These general acronyms and abbreviations are used throughout the immunizations site. (Also see U.S. vaccine abbreviations below.) UPDATEd Aug 2010
• Other general acronyms and abbreviations used on the CDC website can be found via the CDC Search feature.

Vaccine Abbreviations and Trade Names

• Abbreviations in immunization records
  If you're looking for "old" abbreviations used on immunization records, see these vaccine abbreviations. (For example, Td=Adult Tetanus & Diphtheria Vaccine.) UPDATED Sep 2013
• Standardized U.S. vaccine abbreviations
  U.S. Abbreviations for Vaccines are developed jointly by CDC, ACIP, MMWR, and other subject matter experts. The chart shows the vaccine, abbreviation, and trade name. UPDATED Apr 2013
  • The sortable U.S. vaccines page lets you sort the entire list of U.S. vaccines by name, abbreviation, trade name, or manufacturer. UPDATED Aug 2011
  • This list of U.S. vaccines and related products sorted by the vaccine name [1 page] shows the trade name, abbreviation, manufacturer, type (e.g., inactivated), and route (e.g., oral).

Foreign Language Immunization Terms

• If you have an immunization record from another country and need to identify a vaccine, consult Aids to Translating Foreign Immunization Records [6.56 MB, 18 pages].
• Vaccine-preventable disease terms in multiple languages [2 pages]