Influenza (Flu Vaccine)
Millions of people get the seasonal influenza vaccine, or flu shot, every year. In very rare cases, the vaccine can trigger a severe reaction that has debilitating and often long-term consequences.
Reactions associated with the flu vaccine include:
Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA)
Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)
Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM)
Autoimmune Hepatitis
Brachial Neuritis
Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)
Dermatomyositis (JDM)
Encephalitis
Henoch-Schlönlein Purpura
Intussusception
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Optic Neuritis
Transverse Myelitis
Varicella (Chickenpox Vaccine)
It’s estimated that the U.S. chickenpox vaccination has prevented 91 million cases of chickenpox over the course of nearly three decades, preventing 238,000 hospitalizations and 2,000 deaths.
But in very rare cases, the chickenpox vaccine, formally known as the Varicella vaccine, can trigger a severe reaction that has debilitating and often long-term consequences.
Among the possible reactions is Autoimmune Hepatitis, Encephalitis, and Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA).
Human Papillomavirus (HPV Vaccine)
Human Papillomavirus, more commonly known as HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S. There were about 43 million HPV infections in 2018, according to the CDC.
The HPV vaccine exists to prevent infection, but in very rare cases, vaccines can trigger a severe reaction that has debilitating and often long-term consequences.
Reactions associated with the HPV vaccine include:
Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA)
Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)
Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM)
Autoimmune Hepatitis
Dermatomyositis
Linear IgA Bullous Dermatosis
Multiple Sclerosis
Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO)
Transverse Myelitis
Diphtheria
Diphtheria infections can lead to a fever, swollen neck glands, and heart or kidney damage. In some cases, Diphtheria can even be fatal.
Children in the U.S. have been vaccinated against Diphtheria for decades. But in very rare cases, vaccines can trigger a severe reaction that has debilitating and often long-term consequences, including “Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration,” or SIRVA.
People of all ages who suffered a severe vaccine reaction – including from the DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) vaccine – are eligible for the The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).
Tetanus
Tetanus, an infection also known as “lockjaw,” is caused by bacteria that enters the body through broken skin. It can cause painful muscle spasms, jaw cramping, difficulty swallowing, and even death.
There are several vaccines commonly used to prevent tetanus, including DTap (children younger than 7), Tdap (preteens), and Td (often given to adults every 10 years as a booster).
The shots are credited for an extremely low case and death count in the U.S. each year. But in very rare cases, vaccines can trigger a severe reaction that has debilitating and often long-term consequences.
Reactions associated with the tetanus vaccine include:
Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA)
Encephalitis
Henoch-Schönlein Purpura
Brachial Neuritis
Transverse Myelitis
Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)
Pertussis (whooping cough)
Pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory infection that can sometimes be fatal.
Symptoms are usually mild among teens and adults. But infants, who are too young to have received the full course of vaccines, might turn blue and stop breathing in the most serious cases.
The CDC recommends whooping cough vaccination for babies, children, preteens, and pregnant women, along with any adult who has never received one.
But in very rare cases, vaccines can trigger a severe reaction that has debilitating and often long-term consequences.
Reactions associated with the pertussis vaccines include:
Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA)
Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)
Encephalitis
Transverse Myelitis
Brachial Neuritis
Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis
Pneumococcal Conjugate (PCV)
PCV, meaning pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, protects against a harmful bacteria known as streptococcus pneumoniae – bacteria that causes a range of illnesses.
That can include pneumonia, an often serious infection of the lungs, along with ear infections, sinus infections, bacteremia (bacteria in the blood), and Meningitis (inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord).
The CDC recommends pneumococcal vaccination for children younger than 5 years old, people 5 through 64 years old who are at increased risk for pneumococcal disease, and adults 65 years or older.
But in very rare cases, vaccines can trigger a severe reaction that has debilitating and often long-term consequences, including “Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration,” or SIRVA.
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is inflammation of the liver caused by ingesting food or water that was contaminated by feces, or by coming into contact with an infected person.
While the issue is far more common in places with poor sanitation and fewer sources of clean water, U.S. residents can still contract Hepatitis A, including from imported food. A small risk of liver failure and even death – particularly among older people and those with preexisting conditions – also exists.
The Hepatitis A vaccine can prevent the serious liver disease. But in very rare cases, vaccines can trigger a severe reaction that has debilitating and often long-term consequences.
Possible reactions to the Hepatitis A vaccine include:
Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA)
Brachial Neuritis
Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)
Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection that can last for months or, in some cases, become chronic – increasing one’s risk of liver failure, liver cancer or cirrhosis.
The infection spreads via bodily fluids, including through sexual contact and needle sharing or accidental needle sticks. Common symptoms include dark urine, yellowing of the skin and eyes, abdominal pain, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, and nausea.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a vaccine can prevent Hepatitis B, but there's no cure once someone has the condition.
Unfortunately, though very rare, vaccines can trigger a severe reaction that has debilitating and often long-term consequences. Possible reactions to the Hepatitis B vaccine include
Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA)
Multiple sclerosis
Transverse Myelitis
Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)
Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)
Neuromyelitis optica
Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis
Optic neuritis
Brachial neuritis
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
Measles, mumps, and rubella – all serious viral diseases – are preventable through a single MMR vaccine.
The devastating diseases are now largely under control in the U.S., and between 2000 to 2022, measles vaccination prevented approximately 57 million deaths worldwide, according to the CDC.
But in very rare cases, the MMR vaccine can trigger a severe reaction that has debilitating and often long-term consequences. Possible reactions include:
Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA)
Chronic Arthritis
Transverse Myelitis (TM)
Encephalitis
Thrombocytopenic Purpura
Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)
Severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis)
Meningococcal
Meningococcal disease is an umbrella term for any illness caused by Neisseria meningitidis bacteria – many of them serious and sometimes deadly.
That includes meningitis (inflammation of brain and spinal cord membranes) and septicemia (a life-threatening bloodstream infection).
There are three types of meningococcal vaccines available in the U.S., and each is regarded as safe and effective at preventing meningococcal disease.
But in very rare cases, vaccines can trigger a severe reaction that has debilitating and often long-term consequences, including Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA).