Vaccinations with side effects

Vaccinations can cause significant side effects

04.08.2011

Vaccination can bring significant side effects in individual cases. No reason for the general rejection of vaccinations, but reason to think carefully, which syringes are actually required, said Martin Hirte from the Association doctors for individual vaccine decision in Herdecke (North Rhine-Westphalia) to the news agency „dpa“.

In addition to the desired protective effect, vaccinations can also cause numerous side effects. Although the reactions of the organism to the vaccinations are usually relatively harmless, but in individual cases threaten serious health problems, according to a recent communication from the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) of the Robert Koch Institute. According to the experts, these serious side effects are one of the reasons why not only people who are generally afraid of injections, avoid vaccinations.

Vaccination reactions and vaccine complications as side effects
Vaccinations have significantly helped to successfully contain various infectious diseases and to protect the population from the threat of these diseases. However, immunization is always a major invasion of our immune system, said STIKO Chairman Jan Leidel. This is necessary so that the vaccinations „but, as with any effective drug, it can sometimes lead to unwanted side effects“, said the STIKO chairman. A distinction should be made between the normally rather harmless vaccination reactions and the so-called vaccine complications, in which significantly more serious damage to health threatens. Vaccination reaction are the most common side effects and in some percent of vaccinee, the expert said. In most cases, the vaccination reaction is harmless in terms of health, although the symptoms for the affected person may well be relatively severe. According to Leidel, the most common vaccination reactions include, for example, short-term, lighter local and general reactions such as pain at the injection site, swelling of the lymph nodes or flu-like symptoms. Should the symptoms exceed the normal level of a vaccine response, „because they are very strong or last a long time, it is called a vaccination complication. With her you should go to the doctor“, stressed the STIKO chairman. The complications of vaccination include, for example, long-lasting high fever or the formation of abscesses at the injection site.

Serious side effects of vaccinations
The vaccine complications include the so-called vaccine diseases, in which the affected people develop symptoms of the disease against which they should actually be vaccinated. This is the case, for example, in around three to five percent of measles vaccines, explained Martin Hirte from the association doctors for individual vaccine decision in Herdecke (North Rhine-Westphalia). The so-called „Impfmasern“ This includes typical symptoms of measles, such as a slight rash and fever, but are usually less severe than the normal measles infections. Also, allergic reactions to the substances contained are called vaccine complications, with occasional even anaphylactic shocks in the course of the allergic reaction to the ingredients of a vaccine dose occur, reports the expert. The allergic reactions can be triggered not only by the active ingredients directly, but also by the contained additives such as aluminum compounds, mercury compounds (thiomersal), formaldehyde or egg protein used in the production of various vaccines. The increased risk of narcolepsy (narcolepsy = sleeping sickness) observed in the flu vaccine Pandemrix in Scandinavian studies is also attributable to the vaccine complications (sleeping sickness due to swine flu vaccine).

Vaccine damage as a result of side effects
Overall, however, the vaccine complications are extremely rare according to the STIKO chairman. The percentage of affected vaccinees is in the per thousand range and in most cases, those affected can be relieved of their symptoms with a temporary therapy, says Leidel. However, among the millions of people who are vaccinated every year, there are also significant vaccine complications that cause lasting damage to health - so-called vaccine damage. Among the most common vaccine damage include serious diseases such as the „Guillain-Barre syndrome, an inflammation of the nerves that can lead to paralysis and muscle weakness“, explained Martin Hirte. The syndrome, originally known as the sequelae of certain infectious diseases, has been reported several times in different types of vaccines, such as flu shots or TBE (early summer meningoencephalitis), the expert said. In addition, in the past, cases of vaccine encephalitis, so inflammation of the brain, after certain vaccinations such as the whooping cough, recorded shepherd.

Obligation to report suspected vaccination complications
All cases suspected „a health impairment beyond the usual extent of a vaccine response“ According to the Infection Protection Act (IfSG), the doctor must report it to the health department. The recorded vaccine complications are then examined in detail by the Paul Ehrlich Institute (responsible for the approval of vaccines) and the Robert Koch Institute. The reporting obligation of the vaccine complications should contribute to the early detection of the risk signals and thus increase drug safety. As a consequence of the reported vaccine complications, the STIKO Chairman states that, depending on the extent and severity of the side effects, there may be references to the package leaflet, an indication limitation, or withdrawal of the vaccine. Should a vaccination damage occur as a result of a vaccination recommended by the STIKO, the persons affected are entitled to state care benefits. This applies already, „if the causal link between vaccination and disease is only probable“, said the spokeswoman of the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), Susanne Stöcker, to the „dpa“. The investigation and evaluation of all suspected cases of vaccination complications is the task of the PEI. It is also analyzed, according to the press spokeswoman, whether the reported symptoms were already known as side effects or vaccine complications and whether there is a scientific explanation for the adverse reaction.

Paul Ehrlich Institute investigates reported vaccine complications
When investigating reported vaccine complications, the PEI also reviews if there are other potential causes, such as infections or predisposition to certain conditions that may have caused health conditions. This is often „real detective work“, stressed the PEI spokeswoman, adding that the search is particularly difficult when some time has passed between vaccination and illness. Because in these cases is „Often it is no longer possible to obtain all the data needed to evaluate whether a causal relationship exists,“ so the statement of Susanne Stöcker. According to the expert, the long-term vaccination consequences are still controversial, not least because of the aforementioned uncertainties in the classification. For Martin Hirte from the association Doctors for individual vaccination decision incomprehensible, as already several studies have recognized the complaints as probable late effects of vaccinations. According to scientific studies, for example, the risk of multiple sclerosis disease trebles through a hepatitis B vaccine, the expert explained.

Individual, conscious vaccination decision when considering the risks
In order to narrow down the side effects of vaccinations, Martin Hirte called for more long-term studies on the topic of vaccination sequelae and for doctors to be more receptive to vaccine complications. For the current rate of reported vaccine complications estimates shepherd to only ten percent, which „much too little“ be, „to create a representative image.“ Under the given conditions causal relationships may be hidden, the physician warned. These possibly existing contexts also concede the STIKO and the PEI, but so far there is no clear evidence for the mentioned vaccination late effects, said the STIKO chairman. However, according to Leidel, in view of one's own health and the health of others, it is strongly discouraged to make contingency decisions contingent on contingencies. However, since there are considerable health risks behind the contingencies, as in the case of hepatitis B vaccines, the concern of the vaccination opponents seems quite understandable at this point. Martin Hirte, of course, advocated an individualized, conscious vaccination decision, in which the benefits and potential risks are thoroughly weighed against each other. Shepherd emphasized that he was not generally against vaccinations, but could only advise the patient to reflect accurately, „whether a vaccine is really necessary.“ According to Hirte, this is the case „Hepatitis B vaccination of an infant with healthy parents“ for example not the case. (Fp)

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Image: Bernd Boscolo