severe limits in the knowledge and research capability on vaccine safety

[suschi]

Can anyone find any information to show that anything has changed since this statement?

In the United States, The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 established a Committee from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to review the adverse consequences of childhood vaccines.

This group found severe limits in the knowledge and research capability on vaccine safety.

Of the 76 vaccine adverse events they reviewed for causal relation, 50 (66%) had no or inadequate research.

Specifically, the IOM Committees identified the following limitation's:

1) Inadequate understanding of biologic mechanisms underlying adverse events;

2) Insufficient or inconsistent information from case reports and case series;

3) Inadequate size or length of follow-up of many population-based epidemiologic studies;

4) Limitations of existing surveillance systems to provide persuasive evidence of causation and

5) Few experimental studies published relative to the total number of epidemiologic studies published.13,14

(bold emphasis mine)

http://www.cdc.gov/nip/vacsafe/research/peds.htm

[LongIsland]

Professional follow-up occurs on all reports of deaths and some selected serious events of interest. Reporters of selected serious events receive written requests from VAERS (60days after vaccination and one year after vaccination) for information about the patient's recovery.

I can verify that this is done. I received a follow-up call on my VAERS report the day after I submitted it. I was asked a great deal of pertinent questions and they seemed particularly interested in his test results. They also requested my son's medical records and I declined that request.

Within 60 days of the report, I received another follow-up in the form of a questionnaire asking me if my son has recovered and to describe any residual symptoms I feel may be related. I have yet to fill out the form - not sure when or if I will.