All side effects are listed in detail on the Summary of Product Characteristics sheet (SPCs) for each vaccine (see the list of SPECs on our Links page). SPCs are written for healthcare PROFESSIONALS, not the general public, and they can be quite hard to interpret. Side effects are listed in section 4.8 – Undesirable effects.

When looking at the rates of side effects, you NEED to REMEMBER that any unwanted symptoms experienced by participants during clinical trials of vaccines are recorded as potential side effects, even if they may not be the RESULT of the vaccine. You also need to be aware that very rare side effects may be listed with no indication of how common they are (or described as ‘frequency unknown’), because they have not been reported often enough to get a clear idea of their frequency. See our page on vaccine side effects and adverse reactions.

It is a GOOD idea to weigh up the risk of side effects against the risks involved in getting the disease itself (see our pages on Infectious Diseases for information about the risks of each disease).

All side effects are listed in detail on the Summary of Product Characteristics sheet (SPCs) for each vaccine (see the list of SPECs on our Links page). SPCs are written for healthcare professionals, not the general public, and they can be quite hard to interpret. Side effects are listed in section 4.8 – Undesirable effects.

When looking at the rates of side effects, you need to remember that any unwanted symptoms experienced by participants during clinical trials of vaccines are recorded as potential side effects, even if they may not be the result of the vaccine. You also need to be aware that very rare side effects may be listed with no indication of how common they are (or described as ‘frequency unknown’), because they have not been reported often enough to get a clear idea of their frequency. See our page on vaccine side effects and adverse reactions.

It is a good idea to weigh up the risk of side effects against the risks involved in getting the disease itself (see our pages on Infectious Diseases for information about the risks of each disease).