NVIC If You Vaccinate, Ask 8! downloadable brochure suggests asking eight questions before you make a vaccination decision for yourself, or for your child. If you review these questions before your appointment, you will be better prepared to ask your doctor questions.
To be more fully informed about the vaccine, it is important to read the vaccine manufacturer’s product insert if you are considering dengue vaccination. Federal law requires drug companies marketing vaccines to include certain kinds of vaccine benefit, risk and use information in product information inserts. The dengue vaccine package insert is located on the Food and Drug Administration’s website and is also available under NVIC’s Quick Facts.
NVIC provides the public with referenced information on both the disease and vaccine to empower informed decision-making and encourages consumers to further explore these references as vaccine decisions are made.
Other questions that may be useful to discuss with your doctor before getting the dengue vaccine are:
- If other vaccines in addition to dengue vaccine are scheduled for my child at this office visit, am I allowed to modify the schedule so fewer vaccines are given at once?
- If I, or my child, has not had dengue, what are the risks associated with dengue vaccination?
- Is screening for dengue prior to vaccination recommended?
- What should I do if my child has a high fever or appears very ill after vaccination?
- What other kinds of reaction symptoms should I call to report after vaccination with dengue vaccine?
- What known vaccine reactions are associated with dengue vaccine?
- If the dengue vaccine doesn’t protect my child, do I have any other options for preventing dengue infection?
In alignment with the informed consent ethic, which has guided the ethical practice of modern medicine, vaccine providers should answer your questions, and/or provide you with resources to learn more. The informed consent ethic, which is recognized globally as a human right, also states that individuals should be able to delay or refuse treatments and interventions without coercion or punishment.
Under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, doctors and all vaccine providers are legally required to give you vaccine benefit and risk information before vaccination; record serious health problems following vaccination in the permanent medical record; keep a permanent record of all vaccines given, including the manufacturer’s name and lot number; and report serious health problems, injuries and deaths that follow vaccination to VAERS.
Remember, if you choose to vaccinate, always keep a written record of exactly which shots/vaccines you or your child have received, including the manufacturer’s name and vaccine lot number. Write down and describe in detail any serious health problems that develop after vaccination, and keep vaccination records in a file you can access easily.
It also is important to be able to recognize a vaccine reaction and seek immediate medical attention if the reaction appears serious, as well as know how to make a vaccine reaction report to federal health officials at the Vaccine Adverse Reporting System (VAERS). NVIC’s Report Vaccine Reactions—It’s the Law webpage can help you file a vaccine reaction report yourself to VAERS if your doctor fails or refuses to make a report.
IMPORTANT NOTE: NVIC encourages you to become fully informed about Dengue and the Dengue vaccine by reading all sections in the Table of Contents, which contain many links and resources such as the manufacturer product information inserts, and to speak with one or more trusted health care professionals before making a vaccination decision for yourself or your child. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
