#17 Why we need vaccine surveillance systems – Madhava Balakrishnan

Public trust in vaccines hinges on their safety – but to make
sure vaccines are safe, we must have systems in place to detect
and manage any side effects. Dr Madhava Ram Balakrishnan, medical
officer for vaccine safety at the World Health Organization,
discusses how to build an effective vaccine surveillance system
and how to respond to safety crises when they occur.


Tune in to find out:


How safety surveillance differs between vaccines and drugs

What the most common side effects of vaccines are

How to address the public’s concerns on vaccine safety



Want to know more?
The World Health Organization offers free manuals on
surveillance and causality assessment of adverse events following
immunisation (AEFI).

They also maintain an AEFI causality assessment software where
you can practice on real or sample cases, and an online course on
the principles and processes of AEFI causality assessment.

In the BMJ Global Health, Madhava Balakrishnan and colleagues
review how online communication affects immunisation
stress-related responses and how to address public anxieties
around vaccine safety.

For more on vaccines and risk communication, check out these
episodes from the Drug Safety Matters archive:


How to talk about risks

Talking about vaccine safety

Convincing the vaccine hesitant

Keeping vaccines safe






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