The Center for Disease rule and Pr...

The Center for Disease rule and Prevention (CDC) has issued a summary of vaccine-related adverse issues reported in the United States from 1991 to 2001 The report is available online at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5201a1.htm.

From 1991 to 2001 more than 19 billion doses of human vaccines were distributed, and nearly 129000 vaccine-related adverse circumstances were reported. Fever, rash, injection-site hypersensitivity and edema, and vasodilation were the greatest in quantity commonly reported reactions. Fourteen percent of reported reactions described serious adverse results including death, life-threatening illness, hospitalization or prolongation of hospitalization, or permanent disability. Reports of deaths ranged from 14 to 23 percent and reports of life-threatening illness ranged from 14 to 28 percent

The CDC report notes that the data should be interpreted with caution because they describe occurrences that occurred after vaccination, however they do not necessarily indicate that the ends were caused by vaccination.

During the 11-year surveillance period, the influenza vaccine had the highest distribution (more than 500 million doses) and the lowest overall reporting rate (three reports by 100,000 doses distributed). Hepatitis B vaccine had the other highest distribution (more than 200 million doses) and an overall reporting rate of 118 reports for 100,000 doses distributed. Rhesus rotavirus vaccine-tetravalent had the highest overall reporting rate for a specific vaccine (1563 reports for 100,000 doses distributed).

Nearly 45 percent of all reported adverse results occurred in children younger than seven years of age, and 18 percent occurr in infants younger than united year of age.

COPYRIGHT 2003 American Academy of Family Physicians

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group