Vaccine-associated adverse events

Although vaccination plays a vital rule in maintaining animal health, there are risks associated with this medical procedure. Veterinarians are beginn ing to reexamine dogmatic vaccine protocols and consider both risks and ben efits of vaccination, with special emphasis on adverse event information ge nerated by practitioner experience. The current status of postmarketing sur veillance for commercially available veterinary vaccines is presented, alon g with a discussion of the strengths and limitations of surveillance progra ms. An overview of adverse events commonly reported by veterinarians is inc luded, along with practical information on how veterinarians can share thei r observations and learn about adverse events reported by their colleagues.