Doc,
What about these anecdotal stories we hear from time to time about severe negative side effects? The most recent that I stumbled across were in regards to HPV vaccines. Are these real for a small percentage or just coincidental? Thanks.
No vaccine is 100% effective, nor 100% "safe". Adverse reactions, although rare, are real and do occur. Whether a specific case is a true reaction or is a coincidence has to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
FWIW, most primary care docs don't have the expertise to identify a true adverse reaction, except in cases where the patient has an anaphylactic reaction to the shot within 20-40 minutes. If somebody has an adverse health event 12-24 hours or more after receiving an immunization, the cause is in serious doubt and can only be pinpointed by experts.
