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As with any medical procedure or medication, immunizations are associated with a risk of an adverse reaction. Typical reactions may include warmth, redness, and tenderness at the site of the injection, and irritability. Potential serious reactions vary according to the type of immunization, and include the potential for seizures, damage to the brain or central nervous system, and death. However, most reactions are minor and treatable. There are so few deaths that could plausibly be connected to vaccine, and the risk is so small, that it is hard to assess statistically. The National Vaccine Program Office supports continuous vigilance so that any increase in risk from a vaccine is quickly recognized and so that measures can be taken to make the vaccines even safer. The CDC National Immunization Program and the Food and Drug Administration have systems in place for monitoring reports of reactions. Among these is the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Vaccines have been so successful in preventing disease in the U.S. that in recent years, the annual number of reports to VAERS have exceeded the total number of reports of routine childhood vaccine-preventable disease. This may lead some people to believe that the vaccines are dangerous. However, based on the very large numbers of data collected nationwide through the various data systems, the risk of a serious adverse reaction to an immunization is extremely small. The risk of the disease itself is substantially more serious than the risk of the immunization. For more information,
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