Risks of the vaccination
Like any medical treatment or medical intervention, vaccination always involves a certain residual risk of harm. Every vaccine contains potentially allergenic substances in its liquid components to which certain people can react. Especially in infancy, allergies are often not yet known.
Further potential complications are abnormal reactions of the body to the vaccine. The reasons why some people react with an incredibly strong immune response are in most cases absolutely unclear and most likely have their origins in a genetic defect. However, such reactions are not predictable for all doctors and therefore not really avoidable.
In very rare cases, the vaccine can also cause an outbreak of a disease, against which the vaccination should actually provide protection. A pneumococcal vaccination could therefore theoretically cause meningitis if the components of the vaccine have not been rendered completely harmless. Unfortunately, it is not possible to control every single vaccine dose, so that this can happen in rare cases. However, if you look at the statistics, the probability of dying from a pneumococcal disease is much higher than a fatal course of vaccination against pneumococcus.
Side effects of the vaccination
The range of side effects after pneumococcal vaccination extends from local to systemic reactions. Local reactions include reddening of the injection site and, if necessary, itching in the hours or burning in the first few minutes after vaccination. Of course, allergic reactions can also occur, which can manifest themselves in the simplest case by simple hives (so-called urticaria) at the injection site, but in the worst case by an allergic shock.
Other systemic reactions of the body would be the development of fever or the occurrence of headache, muscle pain or aching limbs. In connection with pre-existing illnesses affecting the blood and the haematopoietic system, a drop in the platelet count, i.e. a reduced ability of the blood to clot, or anemia, is said to have occurred. The occurrence of fever after a successful vaccination can be interpreted as a good rather than a bad signal from the body, as it indicates that the body is reacting to the vaccine introduced and that the “blueprint for the appropriate defense cells” can establish itself in the body.
As a rule, the fever does not rise above 39 degrees after the vaccination. If this is the case, it is recommended to consult a doctor or pediatrician to gain clarity. Fever develops in connection with the vaccination, as the defence cells caused by the body send out messenger substances, which on the one hand attract further defence cells, but also ensure an increase in the body’s target temperature.
Pain after the vaccination should not be a cause for concern either, as long as it does not get continuously worse over the next few days. As already mentioned, muscles and limbs, but also headaches, are among the frequent side effects after a pneumococcal vaccination. Also the place where the vaccine was injected may be much more sensitive to pain than the rest of the body for a few days. This is also due to the messenger substances of the defence cells, which provide for an increased excitability of the pain-conducting fibres of the human body. You can find important information about this under: The pain after a vaccination – what you should consider
