CDC Features

CDC Features

Childhood vaccines

It's time for school. As you make sure your child's vaccinations are up-to-date, you may have questions about how vaccines are monitored for safety. Here is some information that may help in your decision to vaccinate your child.

Ensuring that your child is fully vaccinated is an important part of preparing to enter school. CDC is committed to continuously monitoring the safety of all licensed vaccines, including those your child will receive.

Testing vaccines before licensing

Vaccines must be licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they can be used in the United States. Before the FDA approves a license, vaccines are tested extensively to ensure they are safe. When the FDA is satisfied it is safe, the vaccine is licensed for public use.

How vaccines are monitored after licensing

Photo: School bus Each person is unique and may react differently to immunization. While the United States currently has the safest, most effective vaccine supply in history, vaccines, like any medication, can cause adverse events.

In most cases, vaccines are effective and sometimes cause reactions such as fever or soreness at the injection site. Very rarely, people may experience more serious adverse events like severe allergic reactions. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have health problems or known allergies to medications or food.

CDC uses two robust safety monitoring systems after vaccines are licensed: the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which is jointly operated with FDA, and the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) Project.

VAERS

VAERS is a national program managed by CDC and FDA to monitor the safety of all vaccines licensed in the United States. VAERS relies on information from the public to watch for any adverse events, or health problems that follow vaccination. It cannot be determined that an event reported to VAERS is caused by a vaccine. VAERS data can report only that an adverse event occurred sometime after vaccination. FDA and CDC use VAERS data to conduct research studies and identify potential risk factors for particular adverse events.

VSD

VSD Project is another system that is used to identify and confirm adverse outcomes after immunization. This project is a collaboration between CDC and several large managed care organizations (MCOs), in which comprehensive medical information is collected on approximately 9 million people. The VSD project monitors their data weekly for adverse events that could be associated with newly licensed vaccines and conducts studies of vaccine safety concerns that may arise with any vaccine.

Common questions parents may have about vaccine safety

My child is getting several vaccines to catch up on the immunization schedule. Is this safe?

Yes. Children are given vaccines at a young age because this is when they are most vulnerable to certain diseases. Newborn babies are immune to some diseases because they have protection from antibodies passed to them from their mothers. However, this protection (immunity) only lasts about a year. Unfortunately, most young children do not get maternal immunity to some of the deadliest diseases such as diphtheria, whooping cough, polio, tetanus, hepatitis B, or Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).

Giving a child several vaccinations during the same visit offers two practical advantages. First, healthcare providers want to immunize children as quickly as possible to give them protection during the vulnerable early months of their lives. Second, giving several vaccinations at the same time means fewer office visits. It saves parents both time and money and may be less traumatic for the child.

For more information on the safety of multiple vaccines: CDC - Concerns - Multiple Vaccinations and the Immune System - Vaccine Safety

Who should not be vaccinated?

Some people should not get certain vaccines or should wait to get them. For instance, children with compromised immune systems, as occurs with cancer patients, often need to wait to be vaccinated. Similarly, if a person has had a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine, a later dose is not recommended. However, a person with a mild, common illness, such as a cold with a low-grade fever, does not have to wait to be vaccinated. For more information, visit Who Should Not Be Vaccinated with These Vaccines?

What should I do if my child has a reaction to a vaccine?

Call a doctor. If the reaction is severe, take the child to a doctor immediately.
Tell your doctor what happened, when it happened, and when the vaccination was given.
Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to file a VAERS form, or call VAERS yourself at 1-800-822-7967.

Can my child be compensated for a vaccine injury?

Through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) you may file a claim if your child received a vaccine covered by the program and you believe that he or she has been injured by a vaccine. Please be aware that reporting an event to VAERS does not constitute filing a claim with the VICP. Information on the VICP can be obtained by calling 800-338-2382 or visiting their website at http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/

Remember, vaccines are continually monitored for safety, and like any medication, vaccines can cause side effects. However, a decision not to immunize a child also involves risk and could put the child and others who come into contact with him or her at risk of contracting a potentially deadly disease.