The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs & each of the Service Surgeons General want to emphasize the importance of reporting adverse reactions to any vaccine via a VAERS report. The Department of Defense(DoD) encourages submission of VAERS reports by health care providers. Any patient who believes that they have had a severe or unusual reaction to a vaccine is also welcome to submit one as well. Please remember that submission of a VAERS report is not an indictment against a vaccine, it simply facilitates review of temporally associated conditions and, perhaps more importantly, adds to our safety database on each vaccine.
Service Surgeons General Statements:
Reporting by Consumers
The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) accepts reports from the public of any unusual event which occurred after a vaccination was given. In order to collect all information that may be of value, there is no restriction on the time lapse between the vaccination and the start of the event, or between the event and the time the report is made. Our main concern is identifying events which affect you and your family.
There is a toll-free VAERS information line 1-800-822-7967 to obtain copies of VAERS forms or to receive assistance from a VAERS staff member in filling out the VAERS form. Other services include general information on VAERS, information about vaccines from a health care professional and mailed copies of the Reportable Events Table.
The VAERS report form has been designed to facilitate and standardize the process of reporting adverse events following vaccination to VAERS. The report form consists of a single sheet, pre-addressed, postage-paid form for entering pertinent information, including a narrative description of the adverse event. Directions for completing the form are on the back of the form. Consumers are encouraged to obtain the assistance of their health care provider in completing the form. For a sample copy of the VAERS report form, http://vaers.hhs.gov/.
Reporting by Health Professionals
The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (NCVIA) requires health care providers to report to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) specific adverse events following the administration of those vaccines outlined in the Act. VAERS reporting information, including VAERS forms and the Reportable Events Table, is mailed annually to health care providers. You can obtain a copy of the Reportable Events Table by calling VAERS at 1-800-822-7967.
Additional information about the Reportable Events Table (RET) and the Vaccine Injury Table (VIT) can be obtained from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP).
In addition to the adverse events covered by the Reportable Events Table, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) accepts all reports of suspected adverse events, in all age groups, after the administration of any U.S. licensed vaccine. Reports which involve a serious event, which involve a positive rechallenge, or which involve reactions not included in the product labeling are of particular interest in identifying events with impact on the public health.
The VAERS report form has been designed to facilitate and standardize the process of reporting adverse events following vaccination to VAERS. The report form consists of a single sheet, pre-addressed, postage-paid form for entering pertinent information, including a narrative description of the adverse event. Directions for completing the form are on the back of the form. Consumers are encouraged to obtain the assistance of their health care provider in completing the form. http://vaers.hhs.gov/
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