Oral Vaccine Side Effects

What Oral Vaccines Are Available?

There are a few types of oral vaccines on the market: the well-known polio vaccine, aTy21a typhoid vaccine, a malaria vaccine and a rotavirus vaccine.

The oral vaccine is composed of live, attenuated (weakened) virus cells, unlike an injection where the viruses are killed. When you take an oral vaccine, according to research done in Case Western Reserve University, the live virus stimulates responses not just systemically, but at the mucosal sites where the virus can enter the body (like the nose and mouth). This can prevent a virus from even entering the body, because the mucosal system is also immune. Injections produce a systemic response, producing antibodies against the virus once it enters your body.

While all vaccines have side effects, oral vaccines can be more dangerous because it uses live viruses. Any person with a compromised immune system should be cautious of taking an oral vaccine, because if the immune response is not strong enough, you risk actually getting the disease you were trying to prevent. Side effects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, generally include fever or headache (up to about 5 people per 100), upset stomach or other stomach problems, nausea, vomiting, or rash (rare). Because it is a live but weakened virus, any conditions more severe than these need to be addressed by a doctor immediately.

People living in or traveling to third world countries where incidences of typhoid, malaria and polio are high should definitely consider getting vaccinated. For infants, the rotavirus vaccine is also recommended to prevent serious cases of diarrhea.

The benefits of oral vaccines go beyond just scary needles. There is always a risk that the needle might not be sterilized, so an oral vaccine eliminates any kind of contamination. It is also cheaper to administer because you do not have to be in a clinical setting to get your doses of vaccine. Finally, because the oral vaccine stimulates more than a systemic response, it is an excellent way to prevent the disease for people with immune systems that can handle the live, attenuated viruses.