Vaccine After-effects on Baby: Knowing When to Call Your Doctor

A vaccine is derived from one of the following: a weakened live virus, an inactivated virus, or a toxin produced by the bacteria or synthetic substances. Usually, if a vaccine is derived from the weakened live virus itself, the immune response may be similar to the natural infection but mild and only temporary.

Talk to your baby’s pediatrician to know what to expect after every vaccine to help you monitor your baby’s reactions to each. After getting your baby’s shot, she may experience:

• Soreness, tenderness, and redness at the injection site
• Low-grade fever
• Rashes
• Crankiness
• Loss of appetite
• Minor temporary abdominal discomfort

Call your doctor if you baby had severe reactions such as:

• Having a fever higher that 40.5 degrees
• Fainting
• Seizures
• Hives
• Swelling of the lips and throat and other parts of the body
• Difficulty in breathing

When to Proceed with Caution
While a lapse in immunization schedule or a missed vaccine does not require reinstitution of the entire series, keep in mind that vaccines work best when given at certain ages. There are only a few reasons why doctors may disallow or delay giving vaccines in certain instances. These include illnesses, severe reactions to previous vaccine shot, weakened immune system, and allergies to vaccine components.

Photo from www.army.mil

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