Vaccine contraindications, precautions and adverse events

Overview & Definition

A six-week-old arrives with a runny nose and a temperature of 37.8°C. The nurse asks whether to cancel the primary schedule. The fellowship answer is almost always vaccinate if the child is otherwise well, because mild illness is not a true contraindication. Under-vaccination is driven more by missed opportunities than by genuine safety stops. [1] [27]

A contraindication is a condition that markedly increases the risk of a serious adverse reaction. The vaccine should not be given. A precaution is a condition that might increase risk, might impair immune response, or might confuse interpretation of a later illness. You usually defer or seek specialist advice rather than permanently withhold. A false contraindication is a commonly believed barrier that does not justify delay. [1]

An adverse event following immunisation (AEFI) is any untoward medical occurrence after a vaccine. Temporal association is not automatic causation. Passive systems such as VAERS detect signals; they do not, alone, prove product-related harm. [15] [25]

[1] [2] [27]

References33Show ledgerHide ledger

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