Vaccine safety: current and future challenges.

Immunizations are responsible for preventing death and disability from disease and are among the most cost-effective and widely used public health interventions. However, it is also recognized that no vaccine is perfectly safe or effective. Some people will experience side effects from vaccines, and a few may not experience a complete immunologic response to a vaccine, leaving them susceptible to disease. Sustaining high vaccine coverage rates may become more of a challenge as people question the limitations of vaccines and new parents no longer see or hear about the diseases from which vaccines protect them. In the future, maintaining public support for immunizations will be critical for preventing outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases. In this chapter, we will focus on the importance of vaccine safety research; current gaps and limitations in knowledge in the field of vaccine safety; how vaccine safety is monitored; the vaccine injury compensation program; vaccine risk communication, and helpful resources for specific questions about vaccine safety.