When your child has side effects from a vaccine

It is not unusual for children to experience some mild side effects after getting a shot. — Positive Parenting

Many parents worry about the side effects of vaccines.

After getting your little one vaccinated, it is common for them to experience some side effects.

The majority of these side effects are mild and should resolve within a few hours to a few days.

Examples of common vaccine side effects in children include:

• Pain, swelling or redness at the site of injection
• Fever and/or chills
• Headaches
• Muscle pains
• Joint stiffness
• Rashes (particularly with the measles-mumps-rubella [MMR] or chickenpox vaccines)
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Fatigue or general tiredness
• Loss of appetite.

A vaccine jab can be a scary moment for many children.

Parents can help to create a better vaccination experience for their child with proper vaccine aftercare.

Here are some useful tips about vaccine aftercare for children:

• Provide plenty of fluids

  Make sure your child drinks water regularly to keep hydrated.

• Encourage your child to rest

  Limit physically-strenuous activities (e.g. exercise, competitive sports) and social activities (e.g. going out to meet friends).

  Instead, encourage your child to partake in activities that require less physical exertion, like reading a book, drawing, watching TV, etc.

• Make sure they get enough sleep

  Getting some sleep may be difficult for a child who is experiencing vaccine side effects.

  Encourage and help your child to get some sleep because it helps to support their immune system.

• Give them some extra love and care

  Particularly with younger children, setting aside some extra cuddles and comfort time can go a long way to helping them recover.

You can also do the following to help alleviate pain, swelling, or redness at the site of injection:

• Applying a cool, damp cloth or a wrapped ice pack on the site of injection may help soothe the area.
• Encourage your child to gently move the affected limb; this can help prevent further stiffness by loosening up sore muscles.
• Prevent your child from touching, scratching or rubbing the site of injection to prevent further irritation.
• Consider an analgesic like paracetamol or ibuprofen.

Similarly, for fever and/or chills, anti-pyretic medications, which also include paracetamol or ibuprofen, can be considered.

Many over-the-counter (OTC) pain relief medications, like paracetamol (also known as acetaminophen) or ibuprofen, are available for children.

These medications have analgesic (pain-relieving) and anti-pyretic (fever-reducing) properties, which can help to relieve many post-vaccination symptoms.

Analgesics can help reduce pain, swelling and/or redness at the site of injection; headaches; and muscle/joint pains; while anti-pyretics can help reduce fevers.

However, acetylsalicylic acid (also known as aspirin) should not be given to children below 16 years of age because of the possibility of Reye’s syndrome.

This is a rare condition that has been linked to the use of acetylsalicylic acid in children and adolescents.

It causes swelling in the liver and brain, which can lead to permanent injuries.

In addition, dressing your child in light and airy clothes may reduce their discomfort from a fever.

The side effects of vaccines should resolve within a few days.

However, do seek medical help if:

• Your child starts exhibiting serious symptoms (e.g. difficulty breathing, swelling of the face/throat, increased heart rate, severe rash all over the body, and seizures).
• If post-vaccination symptoms persist for many days, without any sign of getting better.
• If post-vaccination symptoms get worse after 24 hours.

Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail is a consultant paediatrician and paediatric cardiologist. This article is courtesy of the Malaysian Paediatric Association’s Positive Parenting programme in collaboration with expert partners. For further information, please email [e-mail]. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only, and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s own medical care. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.