Vaccine adverse event

Vaccine Adverse Event

A Vaccine adverse event (VAE) refers to any untoward medical occurrence that may present during treatment with a vaccine, but which does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the treatment. The term is used in the context of pharmacovigilance, which is the science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other drug-related problem.

Definition

A vaccine adverse event is defined as an untoward medical occurrence that follows immunization and which does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the usage of the vaccine. The adverse event may be any unfavorable or unintended sign, abnormal laboratory finding, symptom or disease.

Types of Vaccine Adverse Events

Vaccine adverse events can be classified into two main categories: VAERS and VSD. VAERS is a national system for monitoring the safety of vaccines, while VSD is a group of healthcare organizations across the nation that conducts research on vaccine safety.

Reporting of Vaccine Adverse Events

In many countries, healthcare providers are required to report certain vaccine adverse events to a national vaccine adverse event reporting system. In the United States, for example, this system is known as the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

Prevention and Management

Prevention and management of vaccine adverse events involve careful screening for contraindications and precautions, appropriate handling and administration of vaccines, and observation of vaccine recipients.

See Also

• Vaccine
• Adverse event
• Pharmacovigilance
• Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
• Vaccine Safety Datalink