All About Viruses and Bacteria
Testing Vaccines
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Many people get vaccinated yearly for the seasonal flu and many other things, but are they really safe? How are vaccines tested and how do we find out if they are sick. Well the CDC is responsible for that; they test vaccines to make sure they are safe for people like you. No vaccine is perfect though, everyone may have different side effects or reactions to them. The safety of a vaccine is measure by how many incidents there are people have where they develop side effects because of the vaccination. Scientific studies are done to distinguish real side effects from things not related to the vaccine. A system is put into place so hospitals can report any side effects of vaccination. It is important for the CDC to know so they can inform other places that are using its vaccine. The people who report the vaccine are then asked if it caused them to be hospitalization, caused life-threatening illness, caused disability, or even caused death. If it caused any of those last things, the side effect is labeled as serious and is looked into more to make sure it would not happen to anyone else. Common side effects of vaccines include redness where injected, low grade fever, chills, muscle aches and pains, head aches, loss of appetite, and tiredness. Nasal spray vaccines also include the common symptoms of runny or stuffy nose, cough, or sore throat. These symptoms are mild and usually go away in a day or so. Each vaccine though has its own unique list of side effects. For a complete list of symptoms visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/default.htm. There are also severe symptoms of vaccines they also vary from vaccine to vaccine but they can include severe allergic reactions, brain damage, seizures, and comatose. These though are very rare and happen in only one out of every million people who get vaccinated, so the chance that one of these side effects happens to you is almost non-existent. Even though there are side effects varying from mild, moderate, to severe, it is still important for you to get vaccinated. Below is a video of a rare side effect of getting the H1N1 vaccine. The women in the video developed Dystonia after getting the H1N1 vaccine.
