Fact: The risks and side effects of vaccines are monitored very closely worldwide.

Myth: “The side effects and risks of vaccines are incalculable.”

Nowadays, every vaccine must prove its safety and tolerability in clinical trials before it is approved. After approval, doctors (in accordance with their professional conduct rules and infection protection laws) are additionally required to report cases of suspected vaccine complications to the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), Germany's federal institute for vaccines and biomedicines. Patients are also able to report suspected vaccine complications to the PEI. The PEI investigates whether the suspected side effect of the vaccine can, in fact, be traced back to it, i.e., whether the vaccine really is the cause of the reported symptoms.

When new risk signals of very rare side effects are detected using this reporting system, they are sometimes cited in social media as “proof” that the side effects and risks of vaccines are unforeseeable. It is, however, a false conclusion to believe that this is evidence of deficient safety monitoring. On the contrary: The mere fact that side effects and complications are so precisely studied, and even very rare unwanted effects can be detected, demonstrates how seriously the subject of vaccine safety is taken. In the event that real risk signals are identified, it is then possible to respond quickly and introduce appropriate countermeasures (e.g., changing the recommendations for vaccination).

In fact: The risks and side effects of vaccines are determined in clinical trials prior to their approval, and following approval they continue to be monitored worldwide. Severe side effects after vaccination are rare but they do occur. It is important that everybody is educated about the possible risks of vaccines.