Adverse events following immunization : perception and evidence

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this article is to highlight the evidence on new and ongoing vaccine safety concerns in the light of several vaccines recently licensed and others made available and recommended more widely. RECENT FINDINGS: There is increasingly convincing epidemiologic and laboratory evidence against a causal relation of several alleged adverse events following immunization. The scientific framework to detect and investigate adverse events following immunization is increasingly robust. SUMMARY: Currently available vaccines are safe in immunocompetent individuals and there is no evidence to deviate from current immunization schedules.