Can vaccinations cause the disease they're supposed to be preventing?

[Toby2000]

Hi,

My HA is way better now and I hardly ever get anxious thoughts.

But on friday I had my diptheria, teatnus and polio vaccination and yesterday I first got a cough, and then a blocked nose and a runny nose. They are three of the main symptoms of diptheria, so I'm scared that the vaccination has actually caused it.

thanks

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi Toby,

Glad to hear you are doing much better.

Courtesy of NHS Choices for you:

What should I do if my child is unwell after receiving the teenage booster jab?

A few young people may develop a mild fever after vaccination. If this happens, make sure they have plenty of cool drinks, and you can give them paracetamol or ibuprofen (aspirin must not be given to children under the age of 16).

I'm sure you will be ok. If it doesn't seem to go, ask your mum about whether you need to see a GP though.

You won't get any of those things you are worrying about, these vaccines are mass market and have been subject to a lot of testing to roll out to children. They are very important vaccines for young people to have.

Have you ever had a flu jab? Many people will tell you how they have a few days afterwards with some mild symptoms. The same can be said for people who have jabs when they are travelling and it can be because a very small amount of a virus is put into the body which the immune system then uses to fight the main virus should you ever be exposed to it. I don't know if thats what they do with this one, but thats how older ones tended to work if I recall rightly.

Don't worry about it and keep fighting the HA off, don't give it an inch and allow things like this to pull you back in.

[Toby2000]

Thank you for the reply :) So it's normal to get symptoms of the disease then?

[MyNameIsTerry]

Its not really the disease, but when you look at things like flu vaccinations they tend to give some people some very mild symptoms of what could look like it. Nothing comes of it though.

I've never had one of those (I'm 39!) but I've had flu ones and on more than one occasion found I felt like I had a cold a couple of times. I know people who've had shots for things like malaria and felt mild symptoms that could be seen as the same for a couple of days.

[Toby2000]

Oh that's really reassuring, thanks! :yesyes:

[Rennie1989]

I've had so many vaccinations because of working for the NHS. I've had all of my normal child and teenage jabs (MMR x2, meningitis, polio, dyptheria, TB etc) as well as Hep A and B and influenza. The worst I've ever felt was after my second ever Hep B jab when I had mild flu like symptoms where I ached, had a headache and wanted to sleep.

Your body is receiving a very small dose of the disease so it is not enough to actually catch the disease but enough for your immune system to attack it and develop defences against that strain of disease. That's why you feel flu-y when you have a jab because it's your immune system at work. I have never known somebody to develop a full blown attack of the disease as a result of the vaccination.

[Emilym80]

They can make you feel a bit ill, but you can't get diphtheria, polio or tetanus from the vaccines. I can't remember exactly what the mechanisms of vaccines are but I believe they essentially remove the pathogenic part of the vaccine so all that remains is the marker, which is what your immune system detects and responds to. That way, your immune system can practice defending itself/you against, say, diphtheria, but you can't actually contract diphtheria from getting it.

[dlou84]

No they are all inactive but your body attacks them like you do have it! So you will feel like you have the flu for about 2-3 days tops

[MyNameIsTerry]

They can make you feel a bit ill, but you can't get diphtheria, polio or tetanus from the vaccines. I can't remember exactly what the mechanisms of vaccines are but I believe they essentially remove the pathogenic part of the vaccine so all that remains is the marker, which is what your immune system detects and responds to. That way, your immune system can practice defending itself/you against, say, diphtheria, but you can't actually contract diphtheria from getting it.

We need an anxiety disorder vaccination then! :yesyes: