What are the side effects of influenza vaccination in children?
Less information is available for children, compared with adults. In a spontaneous reporting system the most frequently reported events among children were fever, injection-site reactions, and rash. Local pain and swelling occurs in 20 – 28% of children aged 9 months – 18 years after influenza vaccination but also after injection of a placebo. Post vaccination fever was noted among 11.5% of children aged 1 – 5 years, 4.6% among children aged 6 – 10 years, and 5.1% among children aged 11 – 15 years. Also other reactions like malaise, muscle ache can sometimes occur after vaccination and these most often affect persons who have had no prior exposure to the influenza virus antigens in the vaccine (e.g., young children). These reactions begin 6 – 12 hours after vaccination and can persist for 1 – 2 days.
