title: Enhancing public confidence in vaccines through independent oversight of postlicensure vaccine safety.
abstract: The National Immunization Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is responsible for controlling infectious diseases through vaccination, but the program also plays a key role in postlicensure vaccine safety assessment. The time has come to separate postlicensure vaccine safety assessment from vaccine risk management as recommended by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.The National Transportation Safety Board offers a useful model for developing an independent National Vaccine Safety Board that would have the authority to leverage resources and expertise of various government agencies, academia, and industry to oversee postlicensure vaccine safety investigations. Such a board would have been useful in recent vaccine safety concerns, and its independence from government programs would ensure optimal vaccine safety and enhance public confidence in vaccines.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Vaccine Safety, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe Street, Suite 5034, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. dsalmon@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Salmon
authors.forename: Lawrence H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Moulton
authors.forename: Neal A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Halsey
mesh_terms: D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000458:organization & administration; D008004:Licensure; D011639:Public Opinion; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017751:Safety Management / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000458:organization & administration; D035502:Trust; D014481:United States; D014612:Vaccines / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D014612:Vaccines