Surveillance of adverse events following immunisation in Australia annual report, 2019.

Abstract

This report summarises Australian spontaneous surveillance data for adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) for 2019 reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and describes reporting trends over the 20-year period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2019. There were 3,782 AEFI records for vaccines administered in 2019, an annual AEFI reporting rate of 14.9 per 100,000 population. There was an 11.8% decrease in the overall AEFI reporting rate in 2019 compared to 2018 (16.9 per 100,000 population). This decrease in the AEFI reporting rate in 2019 was mainly attributable to a decline in reported adverse events related to the human papillomavirus (HPV), dTpa, meningococcal ACWY and seasonal influenza vaccines. AEFI reporting rates for most individual vaccines in 2019 were similar to 2018. The most commonly-reported adverse events were injection site reaction (35.8%), rash (16.6%), pyrexia (15.3%), vomiting (8.1%), urticaria (5.8%), pain (5.8%) and headache (5.7%). There were five deaths reported to the TGA. In one report, the timing and clinical findings were consistent with a causal association with vaccination. In the remaining four reports, no clear causal relationship with vaccination was found.