Vaccination Information Every Family Needs To Know

By: Dr. Loretta Lanphier, ND, CN, HHP, CH

If You Vaccinate Your Child….Learn How to Recognize the Signs And Symptoms of Vaccine Reactions

VACCINE REACTIONS MOTHER’S DESCRIPTIONS

High Fever (over 103° F)
“His temperature was 105 degrees. I had to put cool towels on him to bring the fever down.”

Skin (hives, rashes, swelling)
“There was a big, hot swollen lump at the site of the shot that stayed for weeks.”

High Pitched Screaming
“It was a pain cry, a shrill scream and lasted for hours and nothing would help.”

Collapse/Shock
“She turned white with a blue tinge around her mouth and went completely limp.”

Excessive Sleepiness
“He passed out and we couldn’t wake him to feed or do anything for over 12 hours.”

Convulsion
“Her eyes twitched, her chin trembled, her body went rigid and then would shake.”

Brain Inflammation
“He just laid in his crib with his eyes wide open then would arch his back and scream and go unconscious. Now he has seizures.”

Behavior Changes
“She won’t sleep or eat. She throws herself down and screams for no reason. She was sweet and happy and is now out of control. She changed into a totally different child.”

Mental/Physical Regression
“My 18 month old son stopped talking and walking after those shots. He developed severe allergies, constant diarrhea, ear infections and was sick all the time.”

Other reported vaccine reactions include loss of muscle control, paralysis, regressive autism, asthma, arthritis, blood disorders, diabetes, Guillain Barre syndrome, sudden death.
If your child’s health deteriorates after vaccination, your child may be eligible for federal compensation. Vaccine reactions should be reported to the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) by calling 1-800-822-7967 and to NVIC’s Vaccine Reaction Registry atwww.NVIC.org.

Following are signs and symptoms of a mild to severe vaccine reaction:

• Rash, hives or severe itching
• Swelling, redness and pain at the injection site
• High fever over 103F
• Difficulty breathing or wheezing
• Rapid heartbeat or chest pain
• Dizziness or sudden collapse/fainting
• Paleness or changes in skin or lip color
• Muscle weakness or limpness
• Excessive sleepiness or lack of responsiveness
• Loss of vision or speech
• Nausea and vomiting
• Severe diarrhea
• Unusual irritability or other behavior changes
• Prolonged crying (especially high-pitched screaming in infants)
• Seizures or convulsions (shaking, twitching, jerking)
• Joint and body pain
• Head pain
• Excessive bruising under the skin
• Numbness or tingling in hands, arms, feet
• Paralysis

If you observe any of these symptoms – or any other symptom that causes you concern – get medical
help right away.


If your child experiences serious health problems following vaccination, ask your doctor to report it to federal health authorities. Your doctor is required by law to report adverse reactions to vaccination within 30 days of vaccination. You may also report serious health problems following vaccination to the government yourself.


Your doctor, nurse or health department can report a serious health problem following vaccination by filling out of form with the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). You can also file a vaccine adverse event report yourself at www.vaers.hhs.gov or by calling 1-800-822-7967.
You may also make a report to NVIC’s Vaccine Reaction Registry, operated since 1982 at https://www.NVIC.org/vaers.aspx


NVIC hosts MedAlerts, the service that allows the public to easily search the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database. The instructions for searching VAERS database are provided at http://www.medalerts.org.