You know well that vaccines are essential to preventing the spread of disease and keeping people safe. It doesn’t take much to look back at the history of deadly diseases that have been all but eradicated with the use of vaccines. They will prevent you from getting sick.
That said, what you’re wondering is if getting the vaccine is going to make you ill. Is that something you should expect, or should you be worried if you feel sick?
Vaccines have side-effects but don’t make you sick
In short, no, a vaccine won’t make you sick. Take the flu vaccine, for instance. Some versions use weakened viruses. Others use inactivated viruses. Some others use proteins from a live virus. No matter which one you choose, this will not cause illness. Despite what people say, you cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine. That’s simply not how vaccines work.
That doesn’t mean they won’t have any side-effects, though. You may feel tired or weak from certain vaccines. You may have pain at the injection site. In some cases, you may actually feel sick. You’re not. What you’re feeling is your body’s natural response. But these side-effects sometimes lead people to believe that the vaccine gave them the illness. Don’t worry. It did not.
What if an adverse reaction to a vaccine is serious?
When you should be worried is when you have a serious reaction to a vaccine that goes beyond expected side-effects. This could be due to an allergy. You must know what medical treatment to get and what legal options you have afterward.