Why You Might Experience Vaccine Side Effects (And What They Are)

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Posted: Nov 2nd, 2021 at 12:19PM - by Ashlee Arnold

Vaccines are, without a doubt, one of the most successful medical advances of modern times. Getting vaccinated is an effective way to prevent acquiring harmful (and even deadly) diseases. It also helps reduce the risk of infection, strengthen the immune system against illnesses, and can encourage lifelong immunity to limit potential complications and future cases.

Vaccines are known for their benefit to an individual's health and the community at large. However, too many people are still skeptical of how they work, partly because vaccines can have their own side effects.

Let's explore why you might experience vaccine side effects and what they are.

How Vaccines Work

Before we get into why we experience vaccine side effects, it's helpful to first understand how vaccines work.

The human immune system contains natural antibodies that combat infections. You can gain immunity against disease in two ways: by acquiring the illness or through vaccination.

As explained by the World Health Organization (WHO), vaccines contain inactivated, killed, or weakened parts of a particular organism (the antigen) that triggers the immune system to respond. Some newer vaccines also contain the blueprint for producing antigens.

Vaccines imitate the infection, causing the body to produce T-lymphocytes and antibodies. They train the body to recognize foreign elements, understand how to fight them, and respond as it would have if you had gotten the actual disease. When the imitation infection leaves the body, it also leaves the memory cells behind so that the body remembers how to fight the disease if and when you become exposed to the real germs later on.

Generally, vaccines do not lead to illness. There is a potential to experience minor symptoms as the body familiarizes itself with the vaccine to build immunity. The vaccine is just enough to teach your body what the virus is like, to recognize it, and protect you from it. But it won't make you sick. This is a common myth about vaccines.

Why You Might Experience Side Effects

When you get vaccinated, there will always be a possibility that your body will react or respond in a unique way. This is because a different and new external agent is entering your body, allowing the cells to detect any infectious agent and fight it.

Every day, your body fights external elements that could enter your body. Commonly, you'll know of them if the infection that enters your body is aggressive and your cells are not prepared to combat them.

The body has memory cells that are developed to remember these infectious intruders. In effect, your immune system will detect the foreign virus or bacteria that attacked the body. White blood cells will swarm to the site, prompting inflammation that causes chills, fatigue, soreness, and other minor side effects. However, in this process, they're also reminding the body how to attack that virus.

Similarly, as the immune system is activated, it can cause temporary swelling in the lymph nodes (such as under the arm where the vaccination is administered).

Vaccines are tools for the body to create these memory cells. In most, if not all, cases, they contain a part of the bacteria, fungus, or virus that doesn't cause harm. As a weaker version of the infectious agent, it doesn't cause the actual disease but is powerful enough to make the body remember what the infection is like and how it moves.

People's responses to vaccines will vary depending on the way the immune system develops protective immunity against viruses. There are several factors that can impact this, including but not limited to age, gender, and pre-existing health conditions.

Ultimately, vaccine side effects shouldn't be a measure of its effectiveness. Rather, these are merely natural and organic immune responses. Most people achieve immunity through vaccination by the works of the cells. The body has such a good memory that some vaccines can provide protection for years or even a lifetime, regardless of the presence or severity of the side effects.

If you're still feeling uneasy, consider this statistic from the US Department of Health and Human Services: Only one in a million people experience severe allergic reactions to vaccines.

The Common Side Effects of Vaccination

You now know that most people don't experience serious side effects from vaccines. Usually, these are just mild effects that go away quickly on their own without requiring any medical attention.

Some of the most common mild side effects post-vaccination include:

• Chills
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Joint or muscle pains
• Mild fever
• Nausea
• Pain, swelling, or redness at the injection site

Do note that experiencing these common side effects indicates that your body is building immunity and protection against the disease. In reality, you should consider this experience a good thing.

Especially in the age of COVID-19, separating fact from fiction is literally a matter of life and death. COVID can kill, and vaccines can save lives. While the unknown can always feel scary, understand that historically, vaccines have proven to be safe and highly effective over and over again.

Vaccines are your best bet in protecting yourself and others (your family, people who can't get vaccinated, and the larger community). Like medication, it's normal to experience minimal side effects with vaccines. Still, they're our best defense against preventing and eliminating diseases and acquiring protection now and in the future.

Ready to get vaccinated? Need to learn more about the vaccine you need? e7 Health can help. Contact us today for more information or book your appointment online.

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