Resources

• Adverse events following immunization (AEFI). (PDF: 155k)
  International Council of Nurses
  Provides reference information about adverse events following immunization (AEFI). Defines AEFI and lists types including coincidental, programmatic and vaccine-related. Lists common errors that could lead to AEFI, and includes information about monitoring, reporting and managing AEFI.
• Canadian Adverse Events Following Immunization Surveillance System (CAEFISS).
  Public Health Agency of Canada
  Provides a national monitoring system for reporting adverse events and suspected adverse events following immunization. Formerly Vaccine Associated Adverse Events Surveillance System (VAAESS).
• Cumulative incidence of childhood-onset IDDM is unaffected by pertussis immunization.
  Heijbel H., Chen R.T., Dahlquist G.
  - Diabetes Care 1997;20(2):173-5.
  American Diabetes Association
  » PubMed: 9118767
  Identifes a possible effect of pertussis vaccination in infancy on the risk for developing human insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM).
• Febrile seizures after MMR and DTP vaccinations (US CDC).
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Answers questions about fever-related seizures that can happen after DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, and whole-cell pertussis) and MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccinations.
• Framing effects on expectations, decisions and side effects experienced: the case of influenza immunization. (PDF: 926k)
  O’Connor Annette M., Pennie Ross A., Dales Robert E.
  - Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 1996;49(11):1271-6.
  Elsevier
  » PubMed: 8892495
  Examines the effects of using positive or negative frames to describe influenza vaccine benefits and side effects on patients’ expectations, decisions, decisional conflict, and reported side effects. Reprinted with permission from Elsevier Science. http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jclinepi.
• GBS and menactra meningococcal vaccine fact sheet for healthcare professionals.
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Describes an investigation of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) among adolescents who recently received tetravalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine. Gives facts about meningococcal disease.
• Importance of background rates of disease in assessment of vaccine safety during mass immunisation with pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccines. (PDF: 109k)
  Lancet .
  - Lancet 2009.
  Lancet
  Because of the advent of a new influenza A H1N1 strain, many countries have begun mass immunisation programmes. Awareness of the background rates of possible adverse events will be a crucial part of assessment of possible vaccine safety concerns and will help to separate legitimate safety concerns from events that are temporally associated with but not caused by vaccination. We identified background rates of selected medical events for several countries. Rates of disease events varied by age, sex, method of ascertainment, and geography. Highly visible health conditions, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, spontaneous abortion, or even death, will occur in coincident temporal association with novel influenza vaccination. On the basis of the reviewed data, if a cohort of 10 million individuals was vaccinated in the UK, 21·5 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome and 5·75 cases of sudden death would be expected to occur within 6 weeks of vaccination as coincident background cases. In female vaccinees in the USA, 86·3 cases of optic neuritis per 10 million population would be expected within 6 weeks of vaccination. 397 per 1 million vaccinated pregnant women would be predicted to have a spontaneous abortion within 1 day of vaccination.
• Influenza vaccine-associated adverse events: results of passive surveillance, Canada 2001-2002. (PDF: 169k)
  - Canada Communicable Disease Report 2002;28(23):189-96.
  Public Health Agency of Canada
  » PubMed: 12501745
  Presents a summary of the adverse events reported following administration of influenza vaccine in the 2001-2002 influenza season.
• Low risk of recurrence of oculorespiratory syndrome following influenza revaccination. (PDF: 165k)
  Skowronski Danuta M., Strauss Barbara, Kendall Perry, Duval Bernard, De Serres Gaston.
  - Canadian Medical Association Journal 2002;167(8):853-8.
  Canadian Medical Association
  » PubMed: 12406942
  Examined the risk of recurrence of oculorespiratory syndrome (an adverse affect associated with the influenza vaccine in 2000-2001), in people who were revaccinated against influenza in 2001-2002.
• Risk of myocardial infarction and stroke after acute infection or vaccination. (PDF: 102k)
  Smeeth Liam, Thomas Sara L., Hall Andrew J., Hubbard Richard, Farrington Paddy, Vallance Patrick.
  - New England Journal of Medicine 2004;351(25):2611-8.
  Massachusetts Medical Society
  » PubMed: 15602021
  Tests the hypothesis that acute infection and vaccination increase the short-term risk of vascular events.
• Routine immunization practices : use of topical anesthetics and oral analgesics.
  Taddio Anna, Manley Jennifer, Potash Leah, Ipp Moshe, Sgro Michael, Shah Vibhuti.
  - Pediatrics 2007;120(3):e67-43.
  American Academy of Pediatrics
  » PubMed: 17766503
  Evaluates analgesic use during childhood immunization.
• Safety of revaccination of patients affected by the oculo-respiratory syndrome (ORS) following influenza vaccination. (PDF: 140k)
  Public Health Agency of Canada; 2004
  » PubMed: 14964915
  Estimates the safety of influenza revaccination in patient who had been affected by oculo-respiratory syndrome, an adverse event occurring after influenza vaccination.
• US VAERS bibliography: 1999-2007.
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / Food and Drug Administration
  Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
  Lists articles that focus on issues and research related to vaccines, vaccinations, and immunization.