CIOMS Guide to Active Vaccine Safety Surveillance

Book excerpt: This guide offers a practical step-by-step approach and algorithm to aid immunization professionals and decision-makers in determining the best course of action if additional vaccine safety data is needed. The guide provides a structured process for evaluating whether significant knowledge gaps exist, whether passive safety surveillance is adequate, and if not, methods for and practical aspects of conducting active vaccine safety surveillance. The guide also includes an essential vaccine information source list for evaluating the extent of data resources and several case studies for review. With more vaccine solutions available and opportunities for earlier availability of new vaccine products in resource-limited countries (e.g. vaccines against rotavirus, human papillomavirus or pneumococci) as well as new products that address diseases endemic in those countries only (e.g. malaria, dengue among others), generating reliable data about specific safety concerns is becoming a priority for all countries. This CIOMS publication--more than any other in recent history--has focused on the special needs of the country level organizations responsible for developing strategies and implementing new vaccination programs into resource-limited environments.