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Any vaccine can cause side effects. For the most part these are minor (for example, a sore arm or low-grade fever) and go away within a few days. Listed below are vaccines licensed in the United States and side effects that have been associated with each of them. This information is copied directly from CDC's Vaccine Information Statements, which in turn are derived from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations for each vaccine.
Remember, vaccines are continually monitored for safety, and like any medication, vaccines can cause side effects. However, a decision not to immunize a child also involves risk and could put the child and others who come into contact with him or her at risk of contracting a potentially deadly disease.
A vaccine, like any medicine, could cause a serious reaction. But the risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Mild Problems
Several mild problems have been reported within 2 weeks of getting the vaccine:
Severe Problems
More serious problems have been reported by about 1 person in 100, within 6 months of vaccination. These problems included:
It is not clear whether these mild or serious problems were caused by the vaccine or occurred after vaccination by chance.
As with all vaccines, adenovirus vaccine will continue to be monitored for unexpected or severe problems.
Note: Adenovirus vaccine is approved for use only among military personnel.
This information was taken directly from the Adenovirus VIS[PDF - 59 KB]
(This information taken from Adenovirus VIS dated 7/14/11. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
Like any medicine, a vaccine could cause a serious problem, such as a severe allergic reaction.
Anthrax is a very serious disease, and the risk of serious harm from the vaccine is extremely small.
Mild Problems
Severe Problems
As with any vaccine, other severe problems have been reported. But these don’t appear to occur any more often among anthrax vaccine recipients than among unvaccinated people.
There is no evidence that anthrax vaccine causes long-term health problems.
Independent civilian committees have not found anthrax vaccination to be a factor in unexplained illnesses among Gulf War veterans.
This information was taken directly from the Anthrax VIS[PDF - 72 KB]
(This information taken from Anthrax VIS dated 3/10/10. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
Getting diphtheria, tetanus or pertussis disease is much riskier than getting DTaP vaccine.
However, a vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of DTaP vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Mild Problems (Common)
These problems occur more often after the 4th and 5th doses of the DTaP series than after earlier doses.
Sometimes the 4th or 5th dose of DTaP vaccine is followed by swelling of the entire arm or leg in which the shot was given, for 1 to 7 days (up to about 1 child in 30).
Other mild problems include:
These problems generally occur 1 to 3 days after the shot.
Moderate Problems (Uncommon)
Severe Problems (Very Rare)
Serious allergic reaction (less than 1 out of a million doses) Several other severe problems have been reported after DTaP vaccine. These include:
These are so rare it is hard to tell if they are caused by the vaccine.
Controlling fever is especially important for children who have had seizures, for any reason. It is also important if another family member has had seizures.
You can reduce fever and pain by giving your child an aspirin-free pain reliever when the shot is given, and for the next 24 hours, following the package instructions.
This information was taken directly from the DTaP VIS[PDF - 59 KB]
(This information taken from DTaP VIS dated 5/17/07. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
A vaccine, like any medicine, could possibly cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of hepatitis A vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Getting hepatitis A vaccine is much safer than getting the disease.
Mild Problems
If these problems occur, they usually last 1 or 2 days
Severe Problems
This information was taken directly from the Hepatitis A VIS[PDF - 79 KB]
(This information taken from Hepatitis A VIS dated 10/25/11. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
Hepatitis B is a very safe vaccine. Most people do not have any problems with it.
The vaccine contains non-infectious material, and cannot cause hepatitis B infection.
Some mild problems have been reported
Severe problems are extremely rare. Severe allergic reactions are believed to occur about once in 1.1 million doses.
A vaccine, like any medicine, could cause a serious reaction. But the risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small. More than 100 million people in the United States have been vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine.
This information was taken directly from the Hepatitis B VIS[PDF - 166 KB]
(This information taken from Hepatitis B VIS dated 2/2/12. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
A vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of Hib vaccine causing serious harm or death is extremely small.
Most people who get Hib vaccine do not have any problems with it.
Mild Problems
If these problems happen, they usually start within a day of vaccination. They may last 2 to 3 days.
This information was taken directly from the Hib VIS[PDF - 65 KB]
(This information taken from Hib VIS dated 12/16/98. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
The HPV Cervarix® vaccine has been in use around the world for several years and has been very safe.
However, any medicine could possibly cause a serious problem, such as a severe allergic reaction. The risk of any vaccine causing a serious injury, or death, is extremely small.
Life-threatening allergic reactions from vaccines are very rare. If they do occur, it would be within a few minutes to a few hours after the vaccination.
Several mild to moderate problems are known to occur with this HPV vaccine. These do not last long and go away on their own.
Like all vaccines, HPV vaccines will continue to be monitored for unusual or severe problems.
This information was taken directly from the HPV-Cervarix VIS[PDF - 37 KB]
(This information taken from HPV VIS dated 5/3/11. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
The HPV-Gardasil® vaccine has been used in the U.S. and around the world for six years and has been very safe.
However, any medicine could possibly cause a serious problem, such as a severe allergic reaction. The risk of any vaccine causing a serious injury, or death, is extremely small.
Life-threatening allergic reactions from vaccines are very rare. If they do occur, it would be within a few minutes to a few hours after the vaccination.
Several mild to moderate problems are known to occur with this HPV vaccine. These do not last long and go away on their own.
Like all vaccines, HPV vaccines will continue to be monitored for unusual or severe problems.
This information was taken directly from the HPV-Gardasil VIS[PDF - 159 KB]
(This information taken from HPV VIS dated 2/22/12. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
A vaccine, like any medicine, could possibly cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Serious problems from inactivated influenza vaccine are very rare. The viruses in inactivated influenza vaccine have been killed, so you cannot get influenza from the vaccine.
Mild Problems
If these problems occur, they usually begin soon after the shot and last 1-2 days.
Moderate Problems
Young children who get inactivated flu vaccine and pnemococcal vaccine (PCV13) at the same time appear to be at increased risk for seizures caused by fever. Ask your doctor for more information.
Tell your doctor if a child who is getting flu vaccine has ever had a seizure.
Severe Problems
The safety of vaccines is always being monitored. For more information, visit: Vaccine Safety Monitoring and Vaccine Safety Activities.
One brand of inactivated flu vaccine, called Afluria, should not be given to children 8 years of age or younger, except in special circumstances. A related vaccine was associated with fevers and fever-related seizures in young children in Australia. Your doctor can give you more information.
This information was taken directly from the Inactivated Influenza VIS[PDF - 269 KB]
(This information taken from Inactivated Influenza VIS dated 7/2/12. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
A vaccine, like any medicine, could possibly cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Live influenza vaccine viruses very rarely spread from person to person. Even if they do, they are not likely to cause illness.
LAIV is made from weakened virus and does not cause influenza. The vaccine can cause mild symptoms in people who get it (see below).
Mild Problems
Some children and adolescents 2-17 years of age have reported:
Some adults 18-49 years of age have reported:
Severe Problems
The safety of vaccines is always being monitored. For more information, visit: Vaccine Safety Monitoring and Vaccine Safety Activities.
This information was taken directly from the LAIV VIS[PDF - 275 KB]
(This information taken from Live Influenza VIS dated 7/2/12. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
Like any medicine, a vaccine could cause a serious reaction. But the risk of JE vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Mild Problems
Moderate or Severe Problems
Studies of this vaccine have shown severe reactions to be very rare. Like all vaccines, it will continue to be monitored for serious problems.
This information was taken directly from the JE-Ixiaro VIS[PDF - 66 KB]
(This information taken from Japanese Encephalitis Ixiaro VIS dated 12/7/11. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
A vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions.
The risk of MMR vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Getting MMR vaccine is much safer than getting measles, mumps or rubella.
Most people who get MMR vaccine do not have any serious problems with it.
Mild Problems
If these problems occur, it is usually within 7-12 days after the shot. They occur less often after the second dose.
Moderate Problems
Severe Problems (Very Rare)
These are so rare that it is hard to tell whether they are caused by the vaccine.
This information was taken directly from the MMR VIS[PDF - 191 KB]
(This information taken from MMR VIS dated 4/20/12. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
A vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of MMRV vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Getting MMRV vaccine is much safer than getting measles, mumps, rubella, or chickenpox.
Most children who get MMRV vaccine do not have any problems with it.
Mild Problems
If these problems happen, it is usually within 5-12 days after the first dose. They happen less often after the second dose.
Moderate Problems
Severe Problems (Very Rare)
Several severe problems have been reported following MMR vaccine, and might also happen after MMRV. These include severe allergic reactions (fewer than 4 per million), and problems such as:
Because these problems occur so rarely, we can’t be sure whether they are caused by the vaccine or not.
This information was taken directly from the MMRV VIS[PDF - 242 KB]
(This information taken from MMRV VIS dated 5/21/10. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
A vaccine, like any medicine, could possibly cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of the meningococcal vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Brief fainting spells and related symptoms (such as jerking or seizure-like movements) can follow a vaccination. They happen most often with adolescents, and they can result in falls and injuries.
Sitting or lying down for about 15 minutes after getting the shot - especially if you feel faint - can help prevent these injuries.
Mild Problems
As many as half the people who get meningococcal vaccines have mild side effects, such as redness or pain where the shot was given.
If these problems occur, they usually last for 1 or 2 days. They are more common after MCV4 than after MPSV4.
A small percentage of people who receive the vaccine develop a fever.
Severe Problems
Serious allergic reactions, within a few minutes to a few hours of the shot, are very rare.
This information was taken directly from the Meningococcal VIS[PDF - 78 KB]
(This information taken from Meningococcal VIS dated 10/14/11. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
Any medicine, including a vaccine, could possibly cause a serious problem, such as severe allergic reaction. However, the risk of any vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
In studies, most reactions after PCV13 were mild. They were similar to reactions reported after PCV7, which has been in use since 2000. Reported reactions varied by dose and age, but on average:
Life-threatening allergic reactions from vaccines are very rare. If they do occur, it would be within a few minutes to a few hours after the vaccination.
This information was taken directly from the PCV VIS[PDF - 54 KB]
(This information taken from PCV VIS dated 4/16/10. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
About half of people who get PPSV have mild side effects, such as redness or pain where the shot is given.
Less than 1 percent develop a fever, muscle aches, or more severe local reactions.
A vaccine, like any medicine, could cause a serious reaction. But the risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
This information was taken directly from the PPSV VIS[PDF - 125 KB]
(This information taken from PPSV VIS dated 10/6/09. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
Some people who get Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) get a sore spot where the shot was given. The vaccine used today has never been known to cause any serious problems, and most people don’t have any problems at all with it.
However, a vaccine, like any medicine, could cause serious problems, such as a severe allergic reaction or even death. The risk of a polio vaccine causing serious harm is extremely small.
This information was taken directly from the IPV VIS[PDF - 68 KB]
(This information taken from IPV VIS dated 11/08/11. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
A vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small. Serious problems from rabies vaccine are very rare.
Mild Problems
Moderate Problems
Other nervous system disorders, such as Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS), have been reported after rabies vaccine, but this happens so rarely that it is not known whether they are related to the vaccine.
NOTE: Several brands of rabies vaccine are available in the United States, and reactions may vary between brands. Your provider can give you more information about a particular brand.
This information was taken directly from the Rabies VIS[PDF - 128 KB]
(This information taken from Rabies VIS dated 10/6/09. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
A vaccine, like any medicine, could possibly cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of any vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
A virus (or parts of a virus) called porcine circovirus is present in both rotavirus vaccines. There is no evidence that this virus is a safety risk or causes illness in humans. For more information, the rotavirus vaccination page.
Most babies who get rotavirus vaccine do not have any problems with it.
Mild Problems
Babies might become irritable, or have mild, temporary diarrhea or vomiting after getting a dose of rotavirus vaccine.
Serious Problems
Some studies have shown a small increase in cases of intussusception within a week after the first dose of rotavirus vaccine. Intussusception is a type of bowel blockage that is treated in a hospital. In some cases surgery might be required. The estimated risk is 1 intussusception case per 100,000 infants.
This information was taken directly from the Rotavirus VIS[PDF - 113 KB]
(This information taken from Rotavirus VIS dated 12/6/10. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
A vaccine, like any medicine, could possibly cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. However, the risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
No serious problems have been identified with shingles vaccine.
Mild Problems
Like all vaccines, shingles vaccine is being closely monitored for unusual or severe problems.
This information was taken directly from the Shingles VIS[PDF - 132 KB]
(This information taken from Shingles VIS dated 10/6/09. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
This medication guide replaces the Smallpox VIS. It is to be used before one receives the vaccination. Medical Guide for vaccination with ACAM2000[PDF - 85 KB] (10/1/09)
With a vaccine, as with any medicine, there is always a small risk of a life-threatening allergic reaction or other serious problem.
Brief fainting spells and related symptoms (such as jerking movements) can happen after any medical procedure, including vaccination. Sitting or lying down for about 15 minutes after a vaccination can help prevent fainting and injuries caused by falls. Tell your doctor if the patient feels dizzy or light-headed, or has vision changes or ringing in the ears.
Getting tetanus, diphtheria or pertussis would be much more likely to lead to severe problems than getting either vaccine. Problems reported after Td and Tdap vaccines are listed below.
Problems reported after Td and Tdap vaccines are listed below.
Tdap
Td
A severe allergic reaction could occur after any vaccine. They are estimated to occur less than once in a million doses.
This information was taken directly from the Td-Tdap VIS[PDF - 208 KB]
(This information taken from Td-Tdap VIS dated 1/24/12. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
Like any medicine, a vaccine could cause a serious problem, such as a severe allergic reaction. The risk of typhoid vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small. Serious problems from either typhoid vaccine are very rare.
Mild Reactions
Mild Reactions
This information was taken directly from the Typhoid VIS[PDF - 188 KB]
(This information taken from Typhoid VIS dated 5/29/12. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
A vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of chickenpox vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Getting chickenpox vaccine is much safer than getting chickenpox disease. Most people who get chickenpox vaccine do not have any problems with it. Reactions are usually more likely after the first dose than after the second.
Mild Problems
Note: The first dose of MMRV vaccine has been associated with rash and higher rates of fever than MMR and varicella vaccines given separately. Rash has been reported in about 1 person in 20 and fever in about 1 person in 5. Seizures caused by a fever are also reported more often after MMRV. These usually occur 5-12 days after the first dose.
Moderate Problems
Severe Problems
Other serious problems, including severe brain reactions and low blood count, have been reported after chickenpox vaccination. These happen so rarely experts cannot tell whether they are caused by the vaccine or not. If they are, it is extremely rare.
This information was taken directly from the Varicella VIS[PDF - 59 KB]
(This information taken from Varicella VIS dated 3/13/08. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
A vaccine, like any medicine, could cause a serious reaction. But the risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely low.
Mild Problems
Yellow fever vaccine has been associated with fever, and with aches, soreness, redness or swelling where the shot was given.
These problems occur in up to 1 person out of 4. They usually begin soon after the shot, and can last up to a week.
Severe Problems
This information was taken directly from the Yellow Fever VIS[PDF - 64 KB]
(This information taken from Yellow Fever VIS dated 3/30/11. If the actual VIS is more recent than this date, the information on this page needs to be updated.)
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Last syndicated: February 15, 2013
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