Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: martin symons on 11/12/2009 10:30:02

Title: Why do some people have bad reactions to flu jabs?
Post by: martin symons on 11/12/2009 10:30:02
martin symons asked the Naked Scientists:
   
Why do some people have bad reactions to flu jabs...? (The reactions are as if they have contracted the flu virus).

What do you think?
Title: Why do some people have bad reactions to flu jabs?
Post by: PhysBang on 11/12/2009 13:48:01
I can think of a few reasons off the top of my head:

they have an immune response to the vaccine that goes beyond that of normal people and triggers symptoms

they have an immune response to a substance in the jab (perhaps an allergy response)

the placebo effect

they actually caught a cold or the flu at the same time as they got the jab (this has to happen in quite a few cases, given the number of people who get vaccinated and the number of people who get colds and flus)