Adverse events after immunization
Reporting adverse events is important and ensures continued safety of vaccines used in Canada.
Report an adverse event
The report of adverse event form should be completed in detail to the best of the health care provider's knowledge and faxed to the Vaccine Preventable Disease Program at 905-688-8225.
Who should report
Report adverse events if you're a:
- Vaccine provider
- Health care professional with patients who may have had a negative side effect
- Vaccine manufacturers who have received a submitted report
Patients or their parent / guardian can also report adverse events to Public Health without the knowledge of their health care provider. Public Health may follow up with them about any forms they submitted.
When to report
Health professionals should report adverse events when there is:
- A temporal association with a vaccine
- No other clear cause at the time of reporting
- Urgent medical attention required, such as life threatening, death, hospitalization
- Unusual or unexpected effects
If you're unsure about reporting a side effect following a patient's immunization, report it anyway. Call 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7396 to discuss further.
Beyfortus® reporting
Beyfortus® is a monoclonal antibody, not a vaccine. Therefore, suspected adverse events following administration of Beyfortus® are not reported to Public Health unless it was co-administered with another vaccine and the reaction cannot be clearly attributed to the Beyfortus® product only.
To report a side effect of Beyfortus® post-administration, use Health Canada's side effect reporting form.