Are you afraid of an injury after receiving a vaccine? It’s a relatively common concern; however, the chances of it happening are very rare. In fact, the odds are similar to those of winning the lottery. In other words, you have just as much of a chance to suffer a vaccine injury, as you do to win the mega-millions.
Since 2006, more than 3.5 billion doses of vaccines have been administered in the United States. During this time, almost 6,300 petitions for vaccine injuries were reviewed and just over 4,300 were compensated. In fact, according to data from Health Resources & Services Administration, “for every one million doses of vaccine that were distributed, 1 individual was compensated” for an injury.
While injuries do occur, the benefits of vaccines certainly outweigh the risks, and experts from the CDC have said that vaccinations “will prevent more than 21 million hospitalizations and more than 732,000 deaths among children born in the last 20 years.” Therefore, it is wise to continue receiving vaccines so that we can maintain a healthy population. If an injury occurs, the vaccine program is there to provide compensation, but don’t avoid vaccines because of a slight chance of injury.