Vaccines are safe. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) carefully checks all vaccines for safety. Federal law requires health professionals to report any reaction following a vaccination to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). Go to www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety to learn how vaccine safety is checked.
The risk of a serious problem from a disease is far greater than the risk from the vaccine. Most side effects of getting a vaccine, if they occur, are mild.
Vaccines are safe even if you or your child:
- Has or is recovering from a minor illness, such as a cold or an ear infection.
- Has a mild fever.
- Has had recent exposure to someone with a disease that is easily spread from person to person.
- Had a mild reaction from a previous shot, such as redness at the site of the shot or a mild fever.
- 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).
Talk to your doctor about which vaccines are also safe for premature infants.
Certain vaccines are safe during pregnancy. But some vaccines are not given during pregnancy. Ask your doctor which vaccines you need before you get pregnant and during pregnancy.
Some parents worry that vaccines cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. But many studies have been done, and no link has been found between vaccines and ASD.
Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about the safety of vaccines.
Getting more than one vaccination at a time
Getting more than one vaccine at a time is safe.
Some parents worry about their children getting several vaccines at the same time. They worry that a child's immune system can't handle all those vaccines at the same time. But babies and children have billions of immune system cells that are hard at work all the time, fighting the many thousands of germs they're exposed to every day.
After careful study, more and more vaccines are being combined into a single shot, such as the measles, mumps, and rubella shot. This means you or your child needs fewer shots. Even though the vaccines are combined, each gives the same protection as it would if it were given alone.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a child get all of the vaccines needed at the child's age in one doctor visit.
Combination vaccines include:
- Hepatitis B/Haemophilus influenzae type b.
- Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis/polio.
- Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis/polio/hepatitis B.
- Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis/polio/Haemophilus influenzae type b.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continue to study vaccines. The risk of problems from vaccines is already extremely low. Most side effects of getting a vaccine, if they occur, are mild. But these agencies watch for any reports of rare or unexpected reactions.
Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about the safety of vaccines.