Vaccine Reaction

Vaccine reaction is an individual’s response to the inherent properties of the vaccine, even when the vaccine has been prepared, handled and administered correctly. There are two types of vaccine reactions:
  1. Vaccine product-related reaction: caused or precipitated by a vaccine due to one or more of the inherent properties of the vaccine product.
  2. Vaccine quality defect-related reaction: caused or precipitated by a vaccine that is due to one or more quality defects of the vaccine product, including its administration device as provided by the manufacturer.

By intensity, vaccine reactions can be classified into:

 Minor Reactions

  Severe Reactions

  • Usually occur within a few hours of injection.
  • Resolve after a short period of time and pose little danger.
  • Local (includes pain, swelling or redness at the site of injection).
  • Systemic (includes fever, malaise, muscle pain, headache or loss of appetite).
  • Usually do not result in long-term problems.
  • Can be disabling.
  • Are rarely life threatening.
  • Include seizures and allergic reactions caused by the body's reaction to a particular component in a vaccine.