Vaccine Safety and Pharmacovigilance in the African Region: Recent updates

Abstract

The number of subjects in clinical trials, is often limited and inadequate for detection of all adverse events which may be associated with vaccines, especially very rare ones. In addition, there is a surge in introduction of new vaccines into national immunization programmes in the WHO African Region, some of which have been used in a limited number of people, highlighting the need for functional national for pharmacovigilance systems for adverse events following immunization (AEFIs). Recognizing this, WHO and partners are supporting countries to develop national plans, providing training and investments in vaccine safety and pharmacovigilance. Despite these efforts, surveillance for vaccine safety in many countries remain weak. This paper reviews cases of AEFI reported by countries countries in the WHO/UNICEF Joint Reporting Form of WHO/AFRO between 2010 and 2015, discusses some of the causes of the low reporting while exploring how countries can rely on new opportunities and systems to improve their reporting and vaccine safety in general.