Vaccine safety
Safety is one of the most important factors in the development of a vaccine and is the priority of the clinical development process. Vaccines are not a “one size fits all” mechanism, which is why vaccine research, development, and use contain a wide array of checks for safety. Even after a vaccine has been licensed and is in use, monitoring continues in order to ensure that safety information reflects any new information gathered after the product has been licensed.
View resources on vaccine safety
Key resources
Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, 17-18 December 2008 (2009)
A summary of the World Health Organization's (WHO) annual meeting on vaccine safety, including safety profiles of rotavirus and human papillomavirus vaccines and vaccine safety alerts.
Guidelines for
Collection, Analysis, and Presentation of Vaccine Safety Data in Pre- and Post-Licensure Clinical Studies
(2009)
A
set of guidelines to standardize vaccine safety assessments by improving the accuracy and completeness of collection, analysis, and presentation of information about Adverse Events Following Immunization in pre-and post-licensure clinical studies.
Thimerosal in Vaccines
A web page from the US Food and Drug Administration with information on thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative that has been used in vaccines.
Featured PATH resources
The Road to Safe and Effective Vaccines (2009)
A fact sheet on
the development of new vaccines through clinical trials and their role in providing safe and effective vaccines.
Childhood Immunization: What You Need to Know (2004)
A handbook for parents and health care workers about diseases and vaccines, including extensive questions and answers and charts comparing disease risk versus vaccine risk.
Page last updated: August 2009.
