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No increased risk for death at 30 days after adolescent vaccination
The risk for death was not increased during the 30 days following vaccination of adolescents, with no deaths found to be causally associated with vaccination, according to recent findings.
“To our knowledge, this study currently represents the largest population-based epidemiologic investigation of the association between vaccination and death among individuals 9 to 26 years of age,” Natalie L. McCarthy, MPH, an epidemiologist at the CDC, and colleagues wrote. “Although there has been significant research conducted on deaths after vaccination in both infants and older adults, this study fills a void by investigating deaths among older children and young adults.”
The media has publicized isolated deaths in individuals who had previously received the HPV vaccine, the researchers wrote. With an increasing number of vaccines recommended for adolescents and a rising amount of unfortunately-timed deaths, some parents have safety concerns regarding vaccines, particularly the HPV vaccine.
To determine an association between vaccination and 30-day mortality, McCarthy and colleagues analyzed 1,100 individuals aged 9 to 26 years who died between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011. Using the Vaccine Safety Datalink, which monitors the safety of vaccines in the United States through electronic medical records, the researchers estimated the relative risk for death — excluding external causes such as accidents, homicides and suicides.
The researchers also performed a secondary analysis, in which all causes of death were included. Of the deaths reviewed, 1 was due to an unknown cause, 25 were due to nonexternal causes and 34 were due to external causes.
McCarthy and colleagues found that 7% of deaths occurred between 0 and 30 days after vaccination. In both the primary and secondary analysis, the relative risks for death were significantly lower after vaccination (RR = 0.57 and 0.72 respectively; 95% CI, 0.38-0.83 and 0.56-0.91). In addition, no individual vaccines were significantly associated with death, which includes the HPV vaccine.
After the administration of 8,472,685 vaccines over the study window, the researchers did not find any deaths between 0 and 30 days following administration beyond what was expected. The researchers noted that media reporting of vaccine-related deaths often did not take into account the baseline rates of death and did not disclose the potential for non-vaccine-related causes of death.
“We assessed deaths after vaccination on a population level as well as an individual level to provide a complete evaluation of vaccine safety with regard to death,” the researchers wrote. “This research should reassure the public with regard to the safety of 4vHPV vaccine, as well as other vaccines routinely administered to individuals 9 to 26 years of age.” – by Will Offit
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
