- Dr. Sanja
- by raytcmc
General vaccine safety and science
Like everything else in life, vaccines are not completely risk-free. However in the case of all the vaccines used in the current schedule, the overwhelming evidence is that vaccinating is safer than not vaccinating. Vaccinations are meant to protect you against untreatable or difficult to treat and dangerous diseases. Often vaccinations will be delayed due to some minor illness, this might put your child in danger of not being protected against the dangerous bugs. Here is the remainder of the experts that it is only rarely necessary to delay immunizations, even if the child is not well (Oxford University vaccinations knowledge)
It is safe to get vaccinated in all these situations:
• Mild illness without fever, e.g. a cold
• Asthma, eczema or hay fever
• Treatment with antibiotics
• Contact with an infectious disease
• History of febrile convulsions (fits caused by fever) or epilepsy
• Premature birth (see more information on vaccines and premature babies)
• being under a certain weight
• Family history of adverse reactions following immunization
If someone is very unwell with a high temperature, it is a good idea to put off vaccination until they have fully recovered. This is so that symptoms of the illness do not get confused with a reaction to the vaccine.
The vast majority of people can safely be given vaccines. People with some medical conditions may be referred by their GP to a consultant pediatrician or immunologist for expert individual advice. This refers to the individual who are suffering from immunodeficiency that can be something you are born with or secondary to the treatment of cancers and auto immune diseases that will make your immune system weak.
