Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System is NOT an Exact Science

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H1N1 vaccine safety results in from CDC show swine flu shot twice as likely to cause side effects

 

 

Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System is NOT an Exact Science

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-29228-LA-H...e-side-effectsH1N1 vaccine safety results in from CDC show swine flu shot twice as likely to cause side effectsDecember 5, 11:06 AMLA Health Technology Examiner Victoria Nicks The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released a report on the first two months of H1N1 vaccine safety. Data collected from the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) show that the number of reported incidents for the swine flu vaccine is approximately double the number of reported incidents due to the seasonal flu vaccine.Reporting adverse effects of a vaccineThe VAERS is a system used for individuals to report adverse effects experienced after getting a vaccine. This system is limited by the fact that it is voluntary reporting, and many individuals are unaware of the reporting process. In addition, those experiencing adverse effects may not connect them to the vaccination, or may simply be unable to report due to illness.The VSD combines patient information derived from variety of sources to extrapolate assumed vaccine effects. While this is useful for urgent and severe side effects, it may not apply in the event that the individual does not seek medical care for the side effects, or does not receive a vaccination from the normal provider.H1N1 vaccine safety resultsThe H1N1 vaccine safety results show that there were 82 adverse effects from the swine flu vaccine reported for every one million vaccinations. In contrast, there were only 47 adverse effects for every one million vaccinations with the seasonal flu vaccine. There is no data yet on the number of adverse effects experienced by individuals receiving both vaccines at once.