Vaccines are health products designed to safeguard your body against diseases. During the first year of life, children are vaccinated against numerous diseases. These include diphtheria, tetanus, polio, rotavirus, measles, and hepatitis B.
However, vaccination doesn’t stop in childhood as adults, too, receive vaccinations as life progresses. Some diseases adults are vaccinated against are influenza, HPV (Human Papillomavirus), diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, shingles, and, most recently, COVID-19.
Through the years, questions have arisen regarding the effectiveness of vaccines and their adverse effects. For instance, while the shingles vaccine, Shingrix, is effective, it has been found to have some serious problems. This has resulted in legal action. You can read more on the Shingrix vaccine lawsuit.
Today’s post will look at vaccines in general. Read on to learn more about the effectiveness of vaccines and a depiction of their adverse effects.
Vaccine Efficacy And Effectiveness
Controlled clinical trials are commonly used to determine the efficacy of vaccines before they’re approved. These trials often consist of two groups. The first group receives the actual vaccine, and the other one – the control group – is given a dummy vaccine. The outcomes for both groups are then evaluated to determine a vaccine’s efficacy.
On the other hand, a vaccine’s effectiveness is assessed after the relevant bodies have approved it. The effectiveness is determined by the vaccine’s ability to lower disease risk.
Some of the vaccines that are effective include:
- The COVID-19 vaccines
The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms that COVID-19 vaccines are indeed effective and safe for use. These vaccines have been associated with reduced hospitalization rates and protection against severe disease. Consequently, this has reduced COVID-19 death rates in the United States and globally.
- The HPV (Human Papillomavirus)
Similarly, the HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccine is another vaccine that the CDC and World Health Organization (WHO) consider effective. According to these bodies, the vaccine’s benefits outweigh its risks, thus signifying vaccine effectiveness. There are more effective vaccines, as will be seen later in the article.
With that said, note that the effectiveness of vaccines varies. A vaccine that was previously considered effective can still be less effective than its successor. A case in point is the Zostavax vaccine used before Shingrix was launched. While the former vaccine was effective, it did not compare to that of Shingrix.
However, no vaccine is 100% effective, primarily because of the potential side effects associated with each.
Adverse Effects Of Different Types Of Vaccines
Adverse effects, also referred to as adverse events, are the potential side effects of vaccines. Most vaccines tend to have mild side effects. But some occasionally cause severe adverse effects on individuals. Below are different types of vaccines and the negative effects they cause:
- DTaP Vaccine
Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTap) vaccine is the vaccine that protects against diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis. Some of the mild adverse effects of this vaccine include:
- Soreness or soreness at the site of injection;
- Fussiness;
- Fever;
- Fatigue;
- Loss of appetite;
- Vomiting; and the like.
On the other hand, the DTaP vaccine can cause serious side effects that include:
- Continuous crying for three or more hours;
- High fever of over 105°F;
- Seizures; and others.
A DTaP vaccine can cause life-threatening allergic reactions or death on rare occasions.
- Hepatitis B Vaccine
This vaccine safeguards against Hepatitis B. Besides soreness at the injection site, this vaccine can sometimes cause changes in vision, dizziness, and ringing in the ears. While rare, this vaccine may also result in serious allergic reactions or death.
- Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV)
This vaccine lowers your risk of contracting the flu virus. In addition, it minimizes the risk of severe illness if you get sick with the flu. Some of the mild adverse effects of LAIV include:
- Fever;
- Headache;
- Muscle aches;
- Nasal congestion;
- Runny nose;
- Sore throat;
- Wheezing; and so on.
In extreme cases, this vaccine can cause severe allergic reactions or loss of life.
- Polio Vaccine
This vaccine protects you from contracting the deadly poliovirus. The mild adverse effects of this vaccine include redness, swelling, or soreness on the site of the injection, dizziness or fainting, and ringing in the ears.
- Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella (MMRV) Vaccine
The MMRV vaccine safeguards against a host of diseases, namely measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella. This vaccine may cause mild or severe adverse effects. Some mild adverse effects of the MMRV vaccine include:
- Pain or swelling at the injection site;
- Redness at the injection site;
- Fever;
- A mild rash, which could be related to varicella or measles vaccine component (anyone that develops a rash is advised to avoid going near babies and people with weak immune systems); and the like.
On the contrary, the severe complications that may arise after getting an MMRV vaccine include:
- Seizures;
- A temporarily low platelet count (a rare occurrence) resulting in easy bruising and bleeding;
- Life-threatening infection in individuals with weak immune systems, which is why they shouldn’t receive the MMRV vaccine, to begin with; and
- Rarely, this vaccine will cause severe allergic reactions that may result in death.
- Shingrix
As mentioned earlier, Shingrix is a vaccine that protects against shingles. Its adverse effects are pretty severe, considering that the vaccine is an intermuscular injection. In fact, some receive monetary compensation in confirmed injury cases related to it.
Some of Shingrix’s reported side effects include:
- Redness, swelling, and pain where the shot is injected, mainly because the injection is intermuscular;
- Neck pain;
- Joint pain;
- Flu-like symptoms;
- Skin rash;
- Fatigue;
- Headache;
- Rarely, the vaccine may cause a life-threatening allergic reaction; and others.
- Yellow Fever Vaccine
This vaccine offers protection against yellow fever. Its side effects are mostly mild and include fever, headaches, muscle aches, pain, redness, and swelling where the shot was injected. Rarely, the vaccine may cause severe side effects such as brain or spinal cord inflammation, Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), or organ failure.
Global health organizations advise against the vaccination of individuals who are 60 years and above. This is because of the high risk of complications. Similarly, people with weakened immune systems are also warned against getting the yellow fever vaccine for the same reason.
Final Remarks
It’s clear that vaccines are developed to safeguard your body against diseases. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of vaccines remains a topic of debate, with questions arising among different populations. More notable are the adverse effects of these vaccines, some of which are quite severe. These adverse effects are the reason vaccines aren’t fully effective.
For example, some vaccines pose serious health complications to vulnerable populations like older people and those with weakened immune systems. Often, these vulnerable populations are advised against getting certain vaccines. Hence, educating yourself about vaccines’ effectiveness and adverse effects is essential to your safety.
