infections
Overview of Immunization
Vaccine Safety
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) monitors the safety of vaccines. Doctors must report certain problems that occur after routine vaccination to the CDC's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD). If any health problem happens after vaccination, anyone—doctors, nurses, or any member of the general public—can submit a report to VAERS. VAERS reports cannot determine whether a health problem was caused by the vaccine. Vaccines usually cause no problems, although mild side effects, such as soreness or redness at the injection site, may occur. Sometimes parents are concerned about the Vaccine Safety . One of parents' main concerns has been that certain vaccines, such as the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine or vaccines that contain thimerosal (a mercury-based preservative), may increase the risk of Many different groups of scientists have studied these concerns and have completely disproved the supposed relationship between vaccines and autism (see Childhood Vaccination Concerns in THE MANUAL and Nevertheless, most manufacturers have developed thimerosal-free vaccines for use in infants and adults. Information about vaccines that currently contain low levels of thimerosal is available at the Food and Drug Administration's web site (Thimerosal and Vaccines). 