The Pros and Cons of Vaccines: Weighing Side Effects Against the Risk of Disease
Quick answer: The main pros of vaccines are strong, often lifelong protection against serious diseases such as measles and polio, plus safer communities through herd immunity. The main cons are short-lived side effects like a sore arm or tiredness, the occasional need for booster doses, and, very rarely, a severe allergic reaction. For almost everyone, the benefits of vaccines clearly outweigh the risks.
To vaccinate, or not to vaccinate? Trying to balance the pros and cons of vaccines for yourself or your child can bring on quite the headache. Knowledge is power, so read on for straight answers to the questions people ask us most, and reassurance about vaccines and their side effects.
At a glance, here is how the pros and cons of vaccines compare:
| Pros of vaccines | Cons of vaccines |
|---|---|
| Strong, often lifelong protection against serious diseases such as measles, polio and meningitis.Protect the wider community through herd immunity, shielding babies and people who cannot be vaccinated.Let you travel and live with far less risk from preventable illness.Serious side effects are very rare, so the benefit greatly outweighs the risk for most people. | A jab can be uncomfortable and many people dislike needles.Mild side effects such as a sore arm, tiredness or a headache can last a day or two.Some vaccines need more than one dose or a booster, which takes time.In very rare cases, roughly one or two people per million, a severe allergic reaction can occur. |
Do vaccines work?
Put simply, vaccines work. Only decades ago, both children and adults became seriously ill, were left with lifelong side effects, or died from diseases that we now routinely immunise against.
In 1940, 857 people died from measles in the UK. In 2020, there was just one death from the disease. Others, such as mumps, smallpox and polio, have been all but eradicated by vaccination programmes that immunise children from the early months of life.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that vaccines save around 3.1 million lives every year, while a further 1.5 million lives are lost due to gaps in vaccination programmes. That gap shows just how much vaccines contribute to global health.
When enough children and adults are vaccinated against a disease, around 95% of the population, herd immunity is achieved. Herd immunity protects those who, for whatever reason, cannot be immunised.
The NHS says that vaccination is the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself and your children from ill health.
Are vaccines safe?
Yes. In recent years there has been a rise in vaccine hesitancy, with concerns over lasting side effects leaving parents deliberating over whether to immunise their children. Worry about the COVID vaccine sparked similar conversations in many families, with some choosing to wait and others taking up the offer.
There is so much information out there that it can be overwhelming and hard to tell fact from myth. Here is what we can tell you: before a vaccine is recommended for use, it goes through years of testing in the lab, sometimes up to 15 years. Vaccines are designed to protect, not harm, so this rigorous testing happens long before a single dose reaches a human body.
Once a vaccine is in use, it is monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for rare side effects.
Vaccines are safe, but they can come with side effects. Side effects do not mean a vaccine is harming you or your child. In the main, they mean your body is doing exactly what it should after being immunised against disease.
What are vaccine side effects?
Side effects are a genuine downside of protecting yourself against disease, but they are usually short-lived. Most people notice mild effects for anywhere between a day and a week.
Common side effects in both adults and children are:
- feeling tired
- a sore arm
- feeling sick or being sick
- a headache or an achy feeling
Severe reactions are rare, affecting only one or two people out of every million. Signs of an adverse reaction are:
- difficulty breathing
- a rash over your body
- swelling of your face and throat
- dizziness or weakness
- a fast heartbeat
What should I do if I have a severe reaction to a vaccine?
Occasionally, people have an allergic reaction to a vaccine dose. This usually happens within minutes or hours of the injection. If you do have a bad reaction, dial 999 immediately.
Why do we get vaccine side effects?
There is no getting away from it: vaccine side effects can be the reason we put off that important jab. A needle and the thought of feeling rough for 24 hours can turn the stomach of even the toughest among us.
Because a vaccine introduces your body to a tiny, microbial dose of a disease, your immune system goes to work to defeat it. That response is why you feel mild side effects.
How your body reacts to this tiny dose depends on several factors:
- age
- biological sex
- genetics
- existing illnesses
Women, children and older people tend to react more strongly to immunisation, as do people with pre-existing conditions. An ageing immune system plays a part too. An older person’s immune system remembers pathogens it has met before, but finds it harder to cope with newer threats such as COVID.
What are the pros of vaccines?
Less than a hundred years ago, people were dying from vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio and measles. The pros of vaccines are hard to overstate:
- Vaccines work, protecting you and your loved ones from harm, sometimes for life.
- Bad side effects are rare, mild symptoms last only a couple of days, and many people avoid side effects altogether.
- Vaccines let you live your life without the worry of preventable disease, wherever you are in the world.
- They protect the whole community. This matters most for children starting their routine immunisations and for anyone who cannot be vaccinated.
What are the cons of vaccines?
Being fair about the cons of vaccines matters just as much as setting out the pros:
- No one enjoys being jabbed in the arm, and it can hurt for a moment.
- Some vaccines need more than one dose or a booster, which takes time.
- You may get mild to moderate symptoms, and in very occasional cases a severe reaction.
What now?
Vaccines are not much fun, but they can save your life. If you have a small child with immunisations coming up, or you are planning a trip and need protection against travel-related diseases, we can help. At the London Vaccination Clinic we have answered just about every question there is about vaccines, and we are happy to answer yours.
If the pros and cons of vaccines are clearer now and you would like to book, or you simply want a bit more advice, give us a call. We offer same-day appointments and run a thorough assessment so you get exactly the right vaccinations. You can also book your appointment online.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pros and Cons of Vaccinations
The pros of vaccines are lasting protection against serious diseases, herd immunity for the wider community, and freedom to travel and live with less risk. The cons are short-lived side effects such as a sore arm or tiredness, the occasional need for booster doses, and a very rare risk of a severe allergic reaction.
For almost everyone, yes. Serious reactions affect only one or two people per million, while the diseases vaccines prevent can cause lifelong harm or death. If you have a specific medical condition or allergy, speak to a clinician first.
Yes. Vaccines used in the UK go through years of testing before approval, and the MHRA continues to monitor them for rare side effects once they are in use.
Most side effects are mild and pass within a day or two, though they can last up to a week. Severe reactions are rare and usually appear within minutes or hours, which is why any bad reaction should be treated as an emergency by dialling 999.
Book an appointment with London Vaccination Clinic
Have concerns or queries about vaccines? Give us a call on 020 7112 5198, email us at enquiries@360health.co.uk or book an appointment online.
