Anaphylaxis

Each year, hundreds of people seek financial compensation for vaccine-related injuries and illnesses. Many more suffer injuries and illnesses that are never reported; and, as researchers continue learn more about the risks associated with different types of vaccinations, more types of injuries and illnesses are being recognized as vaccine-related.

There are two primary ways that vaccine recipients can experience complications from their immunizations: (i) adverse reactions to vaccine ingredients, and (ii) errors during vaccine administration.

1. Adverse Reactions to Vaccine Ingredients

Individuals who experience adverse reactions to vaccine ingredients can face a variety of medical consequences.

Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) choose the specific strains to be targeted with the annual flu shot based upon an examination of thousands of influenza virus samples collected from patients worldwide. The selection process is not easy, and the challenges involved in choosing the most-effective formulation of the flu vaccine in any given year are largely to blame for the flu shot’s limited effectiveness in recent years.

Now, however, scientists may have found a more-effective way to choose vaccines for future seasons. Using new “HINT” technology, scientists believe that it may now be possible to better identify the flu strains that most likely to infect people year to year.