How does it happen in practice?
Regardless of where you to get vaccinated, the vaccine is always administered by a health care professional who has undergone appropriate vaccination training.
- Before the vaccine is administered, the health care personnel confirm that the vaccine is necessary and that there are no medical reasons why the vaccine should not be given. A runny nose and cough are no obstacle to getting vaccinated, but vaccines are not administered to people who have a fever. Some vaccines are also contraindicated for pregnant women.
- A vaccine is usually not administered if the subject is allergic to any of the vaccine’s ingredients. Other allergies do not preclude vaccination.
- For young children, vaccines are typically injected in the thigh. For older children and adults, the usual site of injection is the upper arm. Depending on the vaccine, the injection may be intradermal, subcutaneous or intramuscular. Some vaccines are also administered orally or as a nasal spray.
- The health care professional administering the vaccine must always have epinephrine at hand in case the person being vaccinated has a sudden hypersensitive reaction known as an anaphylactic shock, although this is very rare.
- When people get vaccinated, they also receive information on potential reactions to the vaccine and how to treat them. For example, vaccines that contain attenuated live pathogens may result in an asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic illness that may be accompanied by a low-grade fever. The symptoms can be relieved by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Vaccination subjects who experience unexpected or strong symptoms afterwards should contact the health care provider that administered the vaccine or their physician.
- Information on the vaccination is entered in the subject’s health card and patient data record.
Further reading