Vaccine Safety Datalink

Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) is a collaborative project between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and several other healthcare organizations in the United States. The project was established in 1990 with the aim of monitoring the safety of vaccines and conducting studies about rare and serious vaccine adverse events.

Overview

The Vaccine Safety Datalink collects data on vaccine doses, health outcomes, and patient demographics from the electronic health records of participating healthcare organizations. This data is used to study the effects of vaccines and to detect any potential vaccine safety concerns. The VSD is a vital tool in ensuring the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.

Participating Organizations

The VSD project includes several large healthcare organizations across the United States. These organizations provide data from their electronic health records, which includes information on vaccinations, health outcomes, and patient demographics. Participating organizations include Kaiser Permanente, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and HealthPartners.

Research and Studies

The Vaccine Safety Datalink has been used in numerous studies to assess the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. These studies have contributed to the understanding of vaccine safety and have led to changes in vaccine recommendations and policies. The VSD has also been used to study the safety of vaccines in specific populations, such as pregnant women and people with certain health conditions.

Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System

The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) is a national system for monitoring the safety of vaccines in the U.S. The VSD and VAERS work together to monitor vaccine safety, with the VSD providing data on vaccine safety in a defined population and VAERS providing data on reported adverse events following vaccination.

Criticisms and Controversies

While the Vaccine Safety Datalink is a valuable tool in monitoring vaccine safety, it has faced some criticisms. Some critics argue that the VSD data is not representative of the U.S. population as a whole, as it only includes data from certain healthcare organizations. Others have raised concerns about the privacy and confidentiality of the data collected by the VSD.

See Also

• Vaccination
• Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention