Vaccines: Risks vs. Benefits

Most people know the benefits of getting themselves, their children and their pets vaccinated against dangerous diseases, but few know about the risks that may be involved with vaccination.
 
In most cases, the risks associated with vaccination are minor and are well worth undergoing to get the protection that vaccinations provide. However, it’s still worthwhile to be aware of all of the risks and benefits associated with vaccination.

Vaccination Benefits

Vaccination benefits are far-reaching for people, cats and dogs. Vaccination can even save your life or the life of your child or pet.

Vaccines work by stimulating an immune response in a person or animal to produce antibodies, or disease fighters, against a certain disease. They do this by introducing a dead or weakened version of a disease into the body. This dead or weakened disease will be easier for the body to kill than a strong version of the disease would be. Then, the next time the body comes into contact with the disease, the immune system will already know which antibodies to produce to kill the disease.

In this way, the body can fight the disease off before it has a chance to make you or your pet sick. Before vaccines were invented, some diseases, many of them dangerous, would spread like wildfire and kill many people quickly.

Now, many vaccines are required for children before they enroll in school, and many vaccines are also required for pets. The rabies vaccine for dogs is required by law.

In short, vaccination benefits include disease prevention and prevention of the spread of disease over a large population.

Vaccination Risks

Some vaccinations carry a small risk of a person getting sick from the disease. This does not usually occur, and if a person gets sick from the disease cells in a vaccine, it is usually not as sick as they would get from a full-blown version of the disease. Mild fever, lessened symptoms or swelling at the vaccination injection site may occur.

Infection is most likely to occur in people or animals that have weakened immune systems or other serious diseases that infect the immune system, such as AIDS.

Vaccine reactions are sometimes a problem as well. These are more common in people with:

  • convulsions
  • history of vaccine reactions
  • neurological disorders
  • severe allergies
  • weakened immune systems.
Talk to your doctor ahead of time about risks associated with each particular vaccine.

Vaccine Associated Sarcoma

Vaccine associated sarcoma is another risk of vaccination, though this condition usually only affects cats. It affects dogs less often, though cases of vaccine associated sarcoma in dogs have occurred.

Vaccine associated sarcoma is a type of tumor that develops at the vaccination site. In some animals, this occurs due to many vaccines being administered at the same site. The condition can develop between three months and three years after a vaccine. Pet owner will notice a growth, or buildup of tissue and fluid.

Vaccine associated sarcoma is difficult to treat and can spread rapidly, so if you notice a growth of this kind, see your veterinarian as soon as possible. Surgery to remove the tumor and surrounding tissues is the most common treatment, though some cats may need radiation or chemotherapy as well.

While there are risks associated with vaccines, they are very rare. Talk to your doctor or veterinarian about vaccine risks before having a vaccine administered on you, your child or your pet.

Resources

Max’s House (n.d.). Vaccine-Associated Sarcoma. Retrieved November 7, 2007, from the Max’s House Web site: http://www.maxshouse.com/vaccine_induced_sarcoma.htm.

National Vaccine Information Center (n.d.). If you vaccinate, ask eight questions. Retrieved November 7, 2007, from the NVIC Web site: http://www.909shot.com/.