Immunization Safety-Topic Overview
Immunization Safety-Topic Overview
Some people question the safety of immunizations for children. Although minor discomfort sometimes follows vaccine injections, research does not support claims that immunizations put a child at any significant risk for harmful side effects. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine information statements list the side effects of each vaccine.
The risk of a serious complication from a disease is far greater than the risk from the vaccine. For example, 1 child in a group of 20 children may die from diphtheria disease. But only 1 child in a group of 14,000 children may have convulsions or shock after getting the DTaP vaccine. And that child would recover fully.1
What Vaccines Do Preteens and Teens Need?
If you have older kids who got all their vaccines when they were little, you might think they're protected against those diseases for life. But as they grow up, the effects of some childhood immunizations wane, so teens need boosters to stay safe.Children get other vaccines the first time between the ages of 11 and 16 because that’s when they work best. And if your kids haven’t yet gotten all of the recommended childhood vaccines, now is a great time to catch up.
Read the What Vaccines Do Preteens and Teens Need? article > >
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) carefully evaluates all vaccines for safety. After a vaccine is approved, the FDA, the CDC, the vaccine maker, and several other agencies watch for any reports of rare or unexpected reactions. Federal law requires health professionals to report any reaction following an immunization to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). For more information about how vaccine safety is checked, see www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/index.html.
Immunizations are safe even if your child:
Immunizations may be given to pregnant women, except for the following:
Some people have voiced concern about immunizations when multiple vaccines for different diseases are given at the same time. These people fear that harmful side effects are more likely because the child's immune system is not able to combat all of the vaccine organisms at the same time.
The risk of a serious complication from a disease is far greater than the risk from the vaccine. For example, 1 child in a group of 20 children may die from diphtheria disease. But only 1 child in a group of 14,000 children may have convulsions or shock after getting the DTaP vaccine. And that child would recover fully.1
Recommended Related to Children's Vaccines
What Vaccines Do Preteens and Teens Need?
If you have older kids who got all their vaccines when they were little, you might think they're protected against those diseases for life. But as they grow up, the effects of some childhood immunizations wane, so teens need boosters to stay safe.Children get other vaccines the first time between the ages of 11 and 16 because that’s when they work best. And if your kids haven’t yet gotten all of the recommended childhood vaccines, now is a great time to catch up.
Read the What Vaccines Do Preteens and Teens Need? article > >
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) carefully evaluates all vaccines for safety. After a vaccine is approved, the FDA, the CDC, the vaccine maker, and several other agencies watch for any reports of rare or unexpected reactions. Federal law requires health professionals to report any reaction following an immunization to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). For more information about how vaccine safety is checked, see www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/index.html.
Immunizations are safe even if your child:
- Currently has or is recovering from a minor illness, such as a cold or an ear infection.
- Has a slight fever.
- Has had recent exposure to someone with a contagious disease.
- Was born early (prematurely).
- Had a mild reaction (such as redness at the site of the injection or a slight fever) from a previous injection.
- Is currently taking antibiotics.
- Has had mild allergies or seizures or has a family history of such problems.
- Has had allergic reactions to penicillin or other antibiotics (except for a history of severe reactions to neomycin or streptomycin).
Immunizations may be given to pregnant women, except for the following:
- Chickenpox (Varicella)
- Human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)
- Nasal spray flu vaccine
- Smallpox
- Typhoid
- Yellow fever
Safety of multiple vaccines
Some people have voiced concern about immunizations when multiple vaccines for different diseases are given at the same time. These people fear that harmful side effects are more likely because the child's immune system is not able to combat all of the vaccine organisms at the same time.