Vaccination

Vaccine Safety: What You Need to Know

Vaccines have garnered a lot of attention in recent years, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccines are essential tools for keeping the public healthy and halting the spread of infectious diseases. However, some people are apprehensive about receiving them. This could be due to misinformation or safety concerns about vaccines.

Here’s what you need to know about vaccine safety.

There are a Variety of Vaccines

Vaccines come in different types, and each works a little differently. A few of the most common varieties include the following:

1. Inactivated Vaccines

Inactivated vaccines are created by killing or inactivating viruses or bacteria. Although these vaccines cannot cause disease, they can stimulate an immune response.

2. Live Attenuated Vaccines

Live attenuated vaccines are made from weakened viruses or bacteria that can still replicate and cause a minor infection.Because the viruses or bacteria have been weakened, they are no longer capable of causing serious disease. However, they can still elicit a strong immune response.

3. Subunit, Recombinant, & Conjugate Vaccines

These vaccines are created using components of the virus or bacteria that are crucial for triggering an immune response. For example, take proteins or sugars.These vaccines are less likely to have side effects than vaccines that contain whole viruses or bacteria. That’s because they only contain specific parts of the virus or bacteria.

4. mRNA Vaccines

A more recent kind of vaccine called mRNA uses the genetic material from the virus to trigger an immune response.

5. Vector Vaccines

Vector vaccines use a harmless virus to deliver genetic material from the virus or bacteria that causes the disease.

This process triggers an immune response. It also prepares the body to fight the virus or bacteria if the body encounters it again.

Vaccines Undergo Extensive Testing

Before a vaccine can be approved for use, it must go through several phases of clinical trials. This extensive process is meant to test the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness.

Here are the different phases of clinical trials:

First Phase

A small group of healthy volunteers receives the vaccine to assess its safety and determine the proper dosage.

Second Phase

The vaccine is administered to a larger group of volunteers to assess its efficacy and keep track of its safety.

Third Phase

To verify the vaccine’s effectiveness and safety in a real-world setting, thousands of volunteers are given the shot.

Once a vaccine has passed these clinical trial stages and is approved for use, it is still monitored for safety.

Vaccines Are Generally Safe & Highly Effective

Because of extensive testing, vaccines are generally safe and effective. Side effects are possible, just like with any medication. However, serious adverse reactions to vaccinations are extremely uncommon.

The most common side effects include:

  • Redness, swelling, and soreness in the injection site for a few days
  • For babies or young children, feeling unwell or having a fever for one or two days
  • A sensation of heaviness at the injection site

The Benefits of Vaccines Far Outweigh the Risks

Vaccines are extremely effective in preventing diseases such as measles, polio, and hepatitis B, among others. They also protect entire communities through herd immunity. A community’s ability to prevent diseases from spreading is increased when a sufficient number of its members are immunized.

This herd immunity helps protect vulnerable populations that may not be able to receive vaccinations. This includes the following groups:

  • Newborns and young children
  • Those with weakened immune systems
  • People who cannot receive the vaccine due to other health conditions

Several Institutions Work Together to Ensure the Safety of Vaccines

After vaccines are approved for use by the general public, their safety is monitored using a variety of systems. These systems complement one another and aid researchers in observing the safety of vaccines.

For instance, healthcare professionals are critical in providing accurate vaccine information and addressing the concerns or questions of patients. Regulatory agencies, on the other hand, play a critical role in ensuring that vaccines are both safe and effective.

Finally, the general public bears the responsibility of learning about vaccines and making informed decisions.

Family Medicine Near You In Wellington & Palm Beach, FL

Vaccines have been proven to be both safe and highly effective in the fight against infectious diseases. Minor side effects are possible, but they are typically mild and temporary. Serious side effects are extremely rare. Everyone should continue to learn about vaccines to protect themselves and make informed health decisions. You can begin to learn or receive vaccines with the help of a family medicine practice near you.

Get in touch with us at Advanced Medical if you have any questions about vaccines! As the best family practice in Wellington, we offer top-notch healthcare services. You can book a visit with the best primary care physician in Wellington by calling(561) 434-1935 or by requesting an appointment online.

Is the Shingle Vaccine Dangerous?

Do you know anyone who has had shingles? If you do, you probably know that it is a very painful illness that can have many serious consequences. But what causes shingles? It is actually caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. Once you have been infected by the Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in an initial case of the chickenpox, the virus hides in your nervous system, and can become active again at any time. However, there are vaccines available to prevent this potentially dangerous illness. While there can be side effects from the vaccines, they are usually much milder than thedisease itself, making it safe for most people. So here’s what you should know when you are considering whether or not to get the vaccine.

What is Shingles? 

If you have ever had chickenpox, or even if you had such a mild case of chickenpox that you were unaware of being ill, then you are at risk of developing shingles. This disease usually starts with tingling, burning, or itching on your skin, in one area, on one side of your body. For example, it may start on one side of your head or face, on one ankle, or on one side of your chest. The most common places are on the chest and back, but again, it only happens on one side of the body. In addition, you might feel like you are coming down with a flu, and you might have a headache. Within a few days, a rash with blisters will appear where the burning or tingling first occurred. The pain you experience with the rash can be anywhere from mild to severe, is usually a stabbing or burning sensation, and will often interfere with sleep and other activities. The blisters will generally open in about 3 to 4 days, and they will crust over, dry up, and fade within 3 to 4 weeks.

The worse thing about shingles (other than the pain during the acute illness) is that it can lead to serious or debilitating complications, especially as you get older. Once the blisters open, there is a risk of a bacterial infection. However, the most common complication of shingles is lingering pain after the infection is gone. Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) which often feels like burning in the area that the infection occurred, can linger from months to years after the rash disappears, interfering with sleep, causing depression, and greatly decreasing your quality of life.

If the shingles rash occurs around an eye, you are at a greater risk of getting inflammation of that eye. This will not only cause severe eye pain and sensitivity, but can cause permanent loss of vision. Additionally, inflammation of an ear due to shingles can cause facial weakness on the affected side. 

What Increases the Risk of Shingles? 

It is estimated that about 20% of all people will experience shingles at some point in their life. Of course, it can only occur if you have had chickenpox. And while anyone who has had chickenpox can get shingles, it usually affects people over the age of 50. Additionally, anyone with a weakened immune system is at greater risk of getting shingles. This can include people with chronic illnesses, like diabetes, but having cancer or cancer treatment poses an even greater risk. Likewise, people who take medications that suppress the immune system, such as steroids like prednisone, antirejection medications following an organ transplant, or those who take medications for rheumatoid arthritis, are at a greater risk. People who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are more likely to contract any infection, including shingles. 

Should You Get Vaccinated? 

If you are 50 years of age or older, you should consider receiving a shingles vaccine. There are two types of vaccines available, and which one you should receive depends on your individual circumstances.

The live attenuated vaccine (Zostavax) was the only vaccine available against shingles in the United States until recently. It is approved for people 60 years of age and older. As the name states, this vaccine contains a live virus, which can pose the risk of developing active shingles. The benefit of Zostavax is that it has been found to decrease the incidence of shingles by over 50%, to decrease the average length of painful symptoms during an outbreak, and to decrease the incidence of PHN by over 65%. However, studies have shown that protection against shingles wanes about 8 years after vaccination.

The inactivated recombinant zoster vaccine (Shingrix) was recently approved for use in the United States for people 50 years of age and older. This vaccine contains proteins from the zoster virus, but does not contain the active virus. It is given in 2 injections, about 2 to 6 months apart, and appears to give very good protection against shingles, especially in older patients. Because there is no active virus in the vaccine, it cannot cause any infection, and is safe for people with a weakened immune system. 

What are the Risks? 

Although rare, because Zostavax contains a live virus, the risk exists for developing shingles even months later. For this reason, the vaccine is not recommended for people with a weak immune system. It is ok to receive this vaccine if you live with someone with a weakened immune system, but if you develop any shingles blisters, you should avoid contact with this person until the blisters are gone. Otherwise, the most common side effect associated with the vaccine is pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, lasting up to about 3 days. Other complications are extremely rare.

The only side effects that have been reported with Shingrix are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site.

There are two additional reasons that you should never receive a shingles vaccine. Zostavax should never be given to a pregnant woman, although this would be highly unlikely as it is only recommended for people 60 years of age and older. Additionally, people with known allergies to gelatin or neomycin should not receive either vaccine.

All things considered, receiving the right shingles vaccine, at the right age, greatly reduces your chance of contracting this painful and sometimes debilitating illness. If you have any questions about whether you should receive the vaccine, or which vaccine is right for you, please contact us at Advanced Medical PA, where our mission is providing quality health care in both internal medicine and primary care. Call us at (561) 434-1935 to request an appointment, or request one online.