Vaccine safety and efficacy: A literature review

Abstract

To introduce vaccine safety and efficacy, the two main public concerns for vaccine use. This is a review of the literature including but not limited to scientific publications and government documents that are related to vaccine safety and efficacy. The publication dates range from 1984 to 2020. Vaccine safety and efficacy are the two main concerns of vaccine use. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a rigid policy for vaccine licensure and strict surveillance after vaccine deployment to ensure the safety of the vaccine. Vaccine efficacy is a critical criterion of the vaccine pre-licensure clinical trials and post-licensure surveillance. Double-blind, randomized, and clinical controlled studies and case-controlled studies are the two main methods to evaluate the vaccine efficacy. In this study, knowledge of vaccine safety and efficacy from numerous studies and researches are combined to provide an overall view and facilitate the understanding of vaccines. Vaccine administration is essentially a parental or personal decision. It is important to inform the public about the importance and benefits of vaccinations. As the number of vaccines increases, there is a need for a universal framework for vaccine assessment to facilitate international communications and encourage interdisciplinary studies. Vaccine inventions for contagious diseases like COVID-19 are urgent.