VAERS (https://vaers.hhs.gov/) is a passive reporting system that allows patients, physicians, and other health care providers to record suspected vaccine-related adverse events.5 It was created in 1990 and is run by the FDA and the CDC. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or definitive list of proven vaccine-related harms. As a passive reporting system, it is subject to both over- and underreporting, and the data from it are often misinterpreted and used incorrectly by vaccine opponents—eg, wrongly declaring that VAERS reports of possible AEs are proven cases. It provides a sentinel system that is monitored for indications of possible serious AEs linked to a particular vaccine. When a suspected interaction is detected, it is investigated by the VSD system.
VSD is a collaboration of the CDC’s ISO and 8 geographically distributed health care organizations with complete electronic patient medical information on their members. VSD conducts studies when a question about vaccine safety arises, when new vaccines are licensed, or when there are new vaccine recommendations. A description of VSD sites, the research methods used, and a list of publications describing study results can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/ensuringsafety/monitoring/vsd/index.html#organizations. If the VSD system finds a link between serious AEs and a particular vaccine, this association is reported to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for consideration in changing recommendations regarding that vaccine. This happens only rarely.
CISA was established in 2001 as a network of vaccine safety experts at 7 academic medical centers who collaborate with the CDC’s ISO. CISA conducts studies on specific questions related to vaccine safety and provides a consultation service to clinicians and researchers who have questions about vaccine safety. A description of the CISA sites, past publications on vaccine safety, and ongoing research priorities can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/ensuringsafety/monitoring/cisa/index.html.
NAM (https://nam.edu/) conducts periodic reviews of vaccine safety and vaccine-caused AEs. The most recent was published in 2012 and looked at possible AEs of 8 vaccines containing 12 different antigens.6 The literature search for this review found more than 12,000 articles, which speaks to the volume of scientific work on vaccine safety. These NAM reports document the rarity of severe AEs to vaccines and are used with other information to construct the table for the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), which is described below.
Are vaccines killing children?
Vaccine opponents frequently claim that vaccines cause much more harm than is documented, including the deaths of children. A vaccine opponent made this claim in my state (Arizona) at a legislative committee hearing even though our state child mortality review committee has been investigating all child deaths for decades and has never attributed a death to a vaccine.
Continue to: One study conducted...