#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 drugsWhat the most common side effects of vaccines areHow to address the public’s concerns on vaccine safetyWant 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 risksTalking about vaccine safetyConvincing the vaccine hesitantKeeping vaccines safe Join the conversation on social mediaFollow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, or Bluesky and share your thoughts about the show with the hashtag #DrugSafetyMatters.Got a story to share?We’re always looking for new content and interesting people to interview. If you have a great idea for a show, get in touch!About UMCRead more about Uppsala Monitoring Centre and how we promote safer use of medicines and vaccines for everyone everywhere.

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