Adverse events following immunization: 1990

The vaccines used under the Immunization Programme are safe and effective. However, as no vaccine is 100% effective, none is entirely without risk. The benefits of immunization greatly exceed the risks because of the large number of complications and deaths prevented. Although, the risks of vaccine-associated adverse events are extremely low, the occurrence of such events in areas with high immunization coverage levels and low incidence of vaccine preventable diseases can influence public acceptance of immunization services. Moreover, since infections and neurological syndromes are common in the age-groups in which immunizations are given and there are a number of contacts with an infant under the programme, there is a risk of temporally-related severe adverse medical events being attributed to immunization. Monitoring of adverse events is essential to document low risks and to identify programmatic errors, if any, for corrective action. An important, aim of the monitoring system is to disseminate such information to the medical professionals and others associated with the immunization programme. The paper summarizes reports received in 1990, including reports of temporal events where the cause of death was other than immunization.