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Quick Guide: Parent Advice Sheet
Parent Advice Sheet Commonly observed adverse
events following immunisation and what to do about them
The following information can be photocopied and given to parents as
post-vaccination advice.
All the common adverse events following immunisation are usually mild and
transient and treatment is not usually required. If the adverse event
following immunisation is severe or persistent, or if you are worried about
yourself or your childs condition, see your doctor or immunisation clinic
nurse as soon as possible or go to a hospital.
Commonly observed adverse events (conditions)
following specific vaccines used in the Australian Standard Vaccination
Schedule (ASVS)
| VZV |
MMR |
MenCCV |
- Localized pain, redness & swelling at injection site
- Occasionally injection site nodule may last many weeks (no
treatment needed)
- Low grade temperature (fever)
Seen 5-26 days after vaccination:
- Pustular rash (2-5 lesions) usually at injection site which
occasional covers other parts of the body
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- Occasionally injection site nodule may last many weeks (no
treatment needed)
Seen 7 to 10 days after vaccination:
- Low grade temperature (fever) lasting 2-3 days, faint red
rash (not infectious), head cold and/or runny nose, cough and/or
puffy eyes
- Drowsiness or tiredness
- Swelling of salivary glands
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- Irritable, crying, unsettled and generally unhappy
- Loss of appetite
- Headache (usually observed in adolescent/adults)
- Localized pain, redness & swelling at injection site
- Occasionally injection site nodule may last many weeks (no
treatment needed)
- Low grade temperature (fever)
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| DTPa-containing vaccines & dTpa |
Influenza |
IPV & IPV-containing vaccines |
- Irritable, crying, unsettled and generally unhappy
- Drowsiness or tiredness
- Localized pain, redness & swelling at injection site
- Occasionally injection site nodule may last many weeks (no
treatment needed)
- Low grade temperature (fever)
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- Drowsiness or tiredness
- Muscle aches
- Localized pain, redness & swelling at injection site
- Occasionally injection site nodule may last many weeks (no
treatment needed)
- Low grade temperature (fever)
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- Muscle aches
- Localized pain, redness & swelling at injection site
- Occasionally injection site nodule may last many weeks (no
treatment needed)
- Low grade temperature (fever)
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| HepB |
Hib |
23vPPV |
- Localized pain, redness & swelling at injection site
- Occasionally injection site nodule may last many weeks (no
treatment needed)
- Low grade temperature (fever)
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- Localized pain, redness & swelling at injection site
- Occasionally injection site nodule may last many weeks (no
treatment needed)
- Low grade temperature (fever)
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- Localized pain, redness & swelling at injection site
- Occasionally injection site nodule may last many weeks (no
treatment needed)
- Low grade temperature (fever)
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| 7vPCV |
OPV |
dT (ADT) |
- Localized pain, redness & swelling at injection site
- Occasionally injection site nodule may last many weeks (no
treatment needed)
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- Occasional diarrhoea (no treatment usually needed but parent
or carer must wash hands carefully after changing nappies)
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- Localized pain, redness & swelling at injection site
- Occasionally injection site nodule may last many weeks (no
treatment needed)
- Low grade temperature (fever)
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| Key to table:
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| DTPa |
Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (acellular)
infant/child formulation |
| dTpa |
Adult/adolescent formulation
diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (acellular) vaccine |
| dT or ADT |
Adult diphtheria-tetanus vaccine |
| hepB |
hepatitis B vaccine |
| Hib |
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine PRP-OMP, PRP-T,
HbOC (as monovalent or in combination) |
| Influenza |
Influenza vaccine |
| IPV |
Inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine (usually
in combination with other vaccine and given as injection) |
| 7vPCV |
7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
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| 23vPPV |
23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide
vaccine |
| MenCCV |
Meningococcal C conjugate vaccine |
| MMR |
measles-mumps-rubella vaccine |
| OPV |
oral poliomyelitis vaccine |
| VZV |
varicella-zoster vaccine (both Varivax
Refrigerated and Varilrix, unless stated otherwise) |
| NA |
not applicable
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What to do to manage injection site discomfort
Many vaccine injections may result in soreness, redness, itching,
swelling or burning at the injection site for 1 to 2 days. Paracetamol might
be required to ease the discomfort. Sometimes a small, hard lump may persist
for some weeks or months. This should not be of concern and requires no
treatment.
Managing fever after immunisation
Give extra fluids to drink. Do not overdress the baby if hot. Although
the routine use of paracetamol at the time of vaccination is no longer
necessary, it may be required if, for example, an infant or child has a high
fever following vaccination. The dose of paracetamol is 15 mg/kg of
paracetamol liquid, up to a maximum daily dose of 90 mg/kg/day.
Reference: see
Part 1.6, Adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) for more
information.
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