Frequently Asked Questions

AusVaxSafety is a world-leading national vaccine safety system, led by the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) and funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. More info on AusVaxSafety here.

AusVaxSafety is an active vaccine safety surveillance system that monitors the safety of vaccines in Australia. Using de-identified data reported directly from people receiving the vaccines (or their parent or carer), AusVaxSafety monitors adverse events following immunisation and facilitates early detection of potential vaccine safety issues. More info on AusVaxSafety active safety surveillance here.

AEFI-CAN is a formal collaboration between state- and territory-based immunisation specialist services. It includes representatives from the Department of Health (Office of Health Protection and the Therapeutic Goods Administration) and most jurisdictional health departments.

Vaccines prevent millions of deaths worldwide every year and have dramatically reduced deaths and disability from vaccine preventable diseases in Australia. Post-licensure surveillance of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) is an important component of any national immunisation program and is essential to maintaining the confidence of general public and immunisation providers in the national immunisation program. More info on vaccine safety here.

An adverse event following immunisation (AEFI) is any untoward medical occurrence which follows immunisation and which does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the use of the vaccine.

AusVaxSafety active vaccine safety surveillance data are updated regularly on the AusVaxSafety website. AusVaxSafety has also developed a Vaccine safety in Australia AusVaxSafety summary report.

Refer to Resources and Publications for more vaccine safety information.
 

AusVaxSafety is currently monitoring the following vaccines:

• COVID-19 vaccines
• seasonal influenza vaccine in individuals aged 6 months and older (including pregnant women) on a weekly basis during the influenza vaccination season
• human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in adolescents aged 11 to 14 years on a fortnightly basis
• MenACWY vaccine in adolescents aged 14 to 19 years on a fortnightly basis and;
• pertussis booster vaccine in pregnant women on a monthly basis

Access the latest vaccine safety data here.

AusVaxSafety only receives and analyses de-identified data from the AusVaxSafety surveillance tools: SmartVax and Vaxtracker.

Any adverse event can be reported to AusVaxSafety. The SMS asks whether there were any adverse events experienced following immunisation. If an adverse event is reported (by answering “yes” to the SMS), a link to a survey is sent requesting further information about the adverse event. This survey solicits reports of specific adverse events (e.g. fever) and also has a free text box where details of any adverse event may be reported AusVaxSafety active vaccine safety surveillance data is updated regularly on the AusVaxSafety website.

AusVaxSafety has also developed a Vaccine safety in Australia AusVaxSafety summary report.

 

AusVaxSafety only analyses and presents data for those who respond “yes” or “no” to the SMS. About 70% of people respond to the SMS.

AusVaxSafety active vaccine safety surveillance data are updated regularly on the AusVaxSafety website. AusVaxSafety has also developed a Vaccine safety in Australia AusVaxSafety summary report.

 

Specialist Immunisation Services provide specialised immunisation advice and care to clinicians and families. These services have specialised nursing and medical staff to provide clinical advice on immunisation for patients with complex or unusual medical backgrounds or who have had an adverse event following immunisation. Full list of Australian specialist immunisation services here.

Contact your state specialist immunisation service. Contact details for specialist immunisation services in Australia here.
 

Post-licensure surveillance of adverse events following immunisation is an important component of any national immunisation program and is essential to maintaining the confidence of general public and immunisation providers in the national immunisation program. More info on passive and active surveillance here.

The majority of SMS are sent at the 3 day mark, however some SMS will be sent later due to weekends or other logistical reasons.  If there is an adverse event after this timeframe, then it can be reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration through the passive surveillance system. More info on passive surveillance here.