ADVERSE EVENTS FOLLOWING IMMUNISATION REPORTED FOR PAEDIATRIC VACCINES IN A DISTRICT HOSPITAL

Abstract

Adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) are monitored because vaccines are given to healthy infants on a very large scale, and rare or poorly understood events can erode public confidence. This review, which reports no new data, draws on published literature to describe how AEFI are defined, classified and reported, what a district hospital can contribute to surveillance, and what is known about reactions to common paediatric vaccines. It covers case definitions, causality assessment, passive and active surveillance, under-reporting, programmatic errors, immunisation anxiety and communication with families. Most events are mild and self-limiting, serious reactions are rare, and many reports reflect coincidence or error rather than the vaccine. Reporting completeness, data quality and causality assessment remain the main weaknesses.