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RESEARCH ARTICLE

NSW Annual Report Describing Adverse Events Following Immunisation, 2010

Deepika Mahajan A D , Sue Campbell-Lloyd B , Jane Cook C and Robert I. Menzies A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead

B AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch, NSW Department of Health

C Office of Medicine Safety Monitoring, Therapeutic Goods Administration

D Corresponding author. Email: DeepikM2@chw.edu.au

NSW Public Health Bulletin 22(10) 196-208 https://doi.org/10.1071/NB11024
Published: 8 November 2011

Abstract

Aim: This report summarises Australian passive surveillance data for adverse events following immunisation in NSW for 2010. Methods: Analysis of de-identified information on all adverse events following immunisation reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Results: 424 adverse events following immunisation were reported for vaccines administered in 2010; this is 6% lower than 2009 but 24% higher than 2008 and the second highest number since 2003. A total of 274 (65%) adverse events involved seasonal or pandemic influenza vaccines. Reports were predominantly of mild transient events: the most commonly reported reactions were fever, allergic reaction, injection site reaction, malaise and headache. Only 9% of the reported adverse events were serious in nature, including eight reports of febrile convulsions in children following seasonal influenza vaccine. Conclusion: The large number of reports in 2010 is attributable to the high rates of fever and febrile convulsions in children after vaccination with 2010 seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine, as well as pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza vaccine.


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