When Should You NOT Get Vaccinated?

Because of age, health conditions, or other factors, some people should NOT get certain vaccines or they should wait before getting immunized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Exceptions are rare, but there are a few circumstances when you or your child shouldn’t get a vaccine.

Allergic Reactions

There is no way to know if you are going to have an allergic reaction before you get a vaccine. The symptoms may include a rash, hives, face and throat swelling, difficulty breathing, fast heartbeat, or dizziness.

If you experience these symptoms within a few minutes or hours of receiving a vaccine, a doctor may recommend skipping future doses. Fortunately, severe allergic reactions are extremely rare. Less than 1 in a million people develop anaphylaxis after vaccines, according to the CDC.

Serious Illness

You may need to delay getting vaccinated — or skip the vaccine altogether — if you are sick on the day you have scheduled your immunizations.

Children with minor illnesses like a cold may be vaccinated. But if you have a moderate or severe illness (with or without a fever) wait until you get better before getting these vaccines:

• DTaP
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Human papillomavirus
• Meningococcal ACWY
• Serogroup B meningococcal
• Polio
• Rabies
• Shingles

People who have serious illnesses that weaken their immune system may never be able to get certain vaccines. For example, the shingles vaccine Zostavax is not recommended for people who are sick because the live virus in the vaccine has caused deadly infections.

Age

Dozens of vaccines are recommended for infants and toddlers, but certain vaccines should not be given to children under a certain age. For example, infants under 6 weeks old should not get Hib vaccines. Other vaccines are only for older adults, like the shingles vaccine.

Brain or Nervous System Diseases

DTaP vaccinations for infants and young children are associated with rare but serious neurological side effects. Any child who suffered a brain or nervous system disease within 7 days after a dose of DTaP should not get another dose.

Talk with your doctor if your child:

• Had a seizure or collapsed after a DTaP vaccine
• Cried non-stop for 3 hours or more after a DTaP vaccine
• Had a fever over 105°F after a DTaP vaccine

Pregnancy

Pregnant women pass on antibodies to their babies, so some vaccines are recommended during pregnancy — a Tdap vaccine is advised in the 3rd trimester of every pregnancy, for example.

However, other vaccines are NOT recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding because they can cause birth defects or other serious health problems for a baby. Women should also avoid getting pregnant within 1 month of a chickenpox vaccine, for example, because the virus in the vaccine can potentially infect the baby.

Vaccines that pregnant women should NOT get include:

• Adenovirus (only for military personnel)
• HPV (OK while breastfeeding)
• Influenza
• Japanese encephalitis
• Measles, mumps, rubella and varicella
• Meningococcal ACWY
• Serogroup B meningococcal
• Pneumococcal polysaccharide (no proof of harm to woman or fetus but recommended for pre-pregnancy)
• Shingles
• Yellow fever (avoid travel to areas with this disease)

Guillain-Barré Syndrome

Talk to your doctor if you have ever had a rare disorder called Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) within 6 weeks of receiving a flu vaccine. This side effect occurs when a person’s own immune system attacks their nerves, causing severe muscle weakness and paralysis. Some people suffer long-term disabilities.

Source: Who Should NOT Get Vaccinated with these Vaccines?

Tags: immunization