Synonyms

• Allergen, allergens, allergen-specific immunoglobulin (IgE) test, allergic, allergic reaction, allergic response, anaphylactic reaction, anaphylactic shock, anaphylaxis, antibiotics, antibodies, antibody, antihistamines, auto-injectable epinephrine, chicken allergens, chicken pox, chicken proteins, corticosteroids, desensitization, desensitized, epinephrine, flu, flu shot, flu vaccine, gelatin, histamine, hives, immune, immune defense system, Ig, IgE, immune system, immune reaction, immune response, immunization, immunoglobulin, immunoglobulin E, influenza vaccine, mercury, MMR, RAST, rubella, sensitization, shingles, sensitized, skin test, vaccination, vaccine, vaccine-induced immunity, varicella, white blood cells.

Background

• Patients receive vaccines to prevent infections and diseases from developing. Although rare, some patients may develop allergic reactions to vaccines. This may occur when an individual is allergic to one or more products contained in the vaccine. Most allergic reactions occur if the vaccine contains antibiotics, egg proteins, gelatin, or mercury.
• Vaccines work by stimulating the body's immune system. Vaccines contain small amounts of disease-causing organisms that allow the immune system to produce antibodies to the foreign invader. Once antibodies are developed, the immune system is able to respond quickly to the infection if the disease-causing organism ever enters the body. Consequently, individuals become immune to the specific illness after receiving a vaccine.
• Some vaccines require more than one shot to take affect. Some vaccines may contain live viruses or bacteria that have been weakened, while others may contain inactivated (killed) microorganisms.
• Live, weakened vaccines, also called attenuated vaccines, contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms have been grown in a laboratory so that they are unable to actually infect the human patient. However, in rare instances, the vaccine may infect the recipient or those who come into close contact with a recently vaccinated individual. This is more likely to occur in individuals who have extremely weakened immune systems (such as chemotherapy or HIV/AIDS patients). In general, live vaccines, such as those for yellow fever and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), have shown to produce stronger immune responses than inactivated vaccines. Some patients may only need one shot to produce life-long immunity.
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Causes

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Allergy Triggers in Vaccines

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Symptoms

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Diagnosis

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Treatment

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Integrative Therapies

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Prevention

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Author Information

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Bibliography

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