For parents of a baby or child who has been vaccinated today.
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Please wait at the clinic for 30 minutes after the injection. Serious allergic reactions are very rare, and when they happen it is almost always within this time.
What is normal
| What you may see | When |
|---|---|
| Pain, redness or swelling where the injection was given | The first 2 to 3 days |
| Mild fever, irritability, sleepiness, feeding a little less | The first 1 to 2 days |
| A small, firm lump at the injection site | Can last a few weeks. Harmless. |
| After measles or MMR vaccine: fever, sometimes a mild rash | 7 to 12 days later, for 1 to 2 days |
| After BCG: a small pimple at the site, which may open, crust and leave a small scar | Appears at 2 to 3 weeks, heals by 6 to 12 weeks |
Do
- Feed the baby more often. Hold and comfort the child.
- A clean, cool, damp cloth on the sore area helps.
- Dress the child in light clothes.
- Give paracetamol only if there is fever or the child is clearly in pain, in the dose the doctor wrote above.
Do not
- Do not rub or massage the injection site.
- Do not apply oil, balm, turmeric or a hot pack.
- Do not give paracetamol before the vaccine "to prevent fever", unless the doctor asks you to for a particular vaccine. It can reduce how well some vaccines work.
- Do not put anything on the BCG spot and do not cover it.
Take the child to a hospital now if there is
- Difficulty breathing, or noisy breathing
- Swelling of the lips, face or tongue, or a rash of raised itchy patches over the body
- A child who is pale, limp or difficult to wake
- A fit
- Fever of 40 °C (104 °F) or more
- A baby under 3 months with fever who is also feeding poorly, drowsy or breathing fast
- After the rotavirus drops: blood in the stool, vomiting again and again, or crying in spasms with the legs drawn up
- Crying without stopping for more than 3 hours
- Swelling of the whole arm or leg, or redness larger than 5 cm that is still growing after 3 days
Caspian has no children's ward and no children's emergency room. Take the child to the nearest hospital with a children's emergency department, or call 108.
A baby under 3 months with fever after a vaccine
Mild fever in the first two days is common after the 6, 10 and 14 week vaccines. Even so, have a baby this young seen by a doctor the same day, and do not give paracetamol to a baby under 2 months without a doctor's advice.
Keep the card
- Bring the vaccination card to every visit.
- Note the date of the next vaccine. A late dose still counts: do not restart the course.
- Tell the doctor before the next vaccine if there was a strong reaction this time.
Questions about this sheet? Call Caspian Healthcare reception on +91 89193 41154. A doctor is on duty at all hours for problems that are not critical. Caspian has no emergency department: in an emergency call 108.
Where this comes from
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: immunization handbook for health workers
- Indian Academy of Pediatrics, Advisory Committee on Vaccines and Immunization Practices: general instructions
- World Health Organization: information sheet on observed rate of reactions, measles, mumps and rubella vaccines
- Serum Institute of India: BCG vaccine summary of product characteristics
- Prymula and others, Lancet 2009: effect of prophylactic paracetamol at the time of vaccination on fever and antibody responses
- UK Health Security Agency: what to expect after vaccinations
Prepared by Caspian Healthcare from the sources above. Last reviewed October 2026. General information: your own doctor's written instructions come first.