According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) is a national early warning system to detect possible safety problems in US-licensed vaccines.” It is co-managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The primary objectives of VAERS are to:
- Detect new, unusual, or rare vaccine adverse events.
- Monitor increases in known adverse events.
- Identify potential patient risk factors for particular types of adverse events.
- Identify vaccine lots with increased numbers or types of reported adverse events.
- Assess the safety of newly licensed vaccines.
Key Things to Know
- Anyone with a concern about an adverse immunization event can report to VAERS.
- Healthcare providers are required by the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act to report any adverse event listed by the vaccine manufacturer as a contraindication to further doses of the vaccine or any adverse event listed in the VAERS Table of Reportable Events Following Vaccination that occurs within the specified time period after vaccination.
Learn more about VAERS here.
Report an adverse event to VAERS here.
Last Updated
08/11/2021
Source
American Academy of Pediatrics