Injection facts for kids

Injection with a syringe

An injection (often called a "shot") is putting liquid into the body, usually with a needle and a syringe. There are many different kinds of injections, such as:

• Intradermal (just under the top layer of the skin)
• Subcutaneous (into the fat layer under the skin)
• Intramuscular (into a muscle)
• Intravenous (into a vein)
• Intraosseous (into a bone)
• Intraperitoneal (into the abdominal cavity)

Injections can be used to prevent illness or to give medicine.

Injections that prevent illness put a dead or weakened version of the virus they want to prevent into the body. The body then 'remembers' the virus to make future encounters of the virus easier to manage.

See also

In Spanish: Inyección para niños