In general, simply taking an antibiotic would not usually be a reason to not get vaccinated.
“Contraindications and precautions to vaccination generally dictate circumstances when vaccines will not be given. Many contraindications and precautions are temporary, and the vaccine can be given at a later time.”
General Recommendations on Immunization
The reason your child is taking the antibiotic could make you want to think about delaying the vaccine though.
Can Your Kids Get a Vaccine While They Are Taking Antibiotics?
Kids are prescribed antibiotics for a lot of different reasons, from treating ear infections and acne to pneumonia and meningitis.
Since a mild acute illness with or without fever isn’t considered a contraindication or precaution to getting vaccinated, in most cases, being on an antibiotic would not cause you to want to skip or delay your child’s vaccines.
In fact, current antimicrobial therapy is listed by the CDC as one of the conditions commonly misperceived as a contraindication or precaution!
There are some exceptions though, including:
- taking the antibiotic for a moderate or severe acute illness with or without fever (a general precaution to getting a vaccine)
- antimalarial agents and antibiotics might interfere with the Ty21a oral typhoid vaccine
- antiviral drugs (acyclovir, famciclovir, or valacyclovir) might interfere with varicella-containing vaccines (Varivax)
- antiviral drugs (Tamiflu, Relenza) might interfere with LAIV4 (FluMist, the nasal spray flu vaccine)
Is your child taking the antibiotic for a mild illness or a more moderate or severe illness for which they are now recovering? Then the fact that they are still taking an antibiotic likely isn’t a contraindication or a precaution to getting vaccinated.
More on Vaccine Contraindications
- VAXOPEDIA – Precautions vs Contraindications When Vaccinating Your Kids
- VAXOPEDIA – Contraindications to Vaccination
- VAXOPEDIA – Autoimmunity as a Contraindication to Getting Vaccinated
- VAXOPEDIA – Is Surgery a Contraindication to Getting Vaccinated?
- Ask the Experts: Precautions and Contraindications
- CDC – General Recommendations on Immunization
- CDC – Contraindications and Precautions
- MMWR – Updated Recommendations for the Use of Typhoid Vaccine — Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, United States, 2015
- If you feel better, should you stop taking your antibiotics?