How do vaccines work?

Vaccines are at the forefront of daily news about COVID-19. Vaccines help prevent diseases that can be dangerous or even deadly by working with the body’s immune system. But how exactly do vaccines work?

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, gives an overview of vaccines, including the different types of vaccines and how you can make sure you are up to date with all recommended vaccinations.

To practice safe social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, this interview was conducted using video conferencing. The sound and video quality are representative of the technology used.

Connect with others talking about the pandemic and supporting one another in the COVID-19 support group.

Dr. Poland has served as a consultant for Merck & Co. Inc., Medicago Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Sanofi Pasteur, Emergent BioSolutions Inc., Dynavax Technologies Corp., Genentech Inc., Eli Lilly and Co., Kentucky BioProcessing Inc. and Genevant Sciences Corp., and Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. He is a paid scientific adviser for Johnson & Johnson. Honoraria: Elsevier.