title: Contributions and challenges for worldwide vaccine safety: The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety at 15 years.
abstract: In 1999, the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) was established by the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide independent scientific advice on issues relating to the safety of vaccines and immunization. Fifteen years onward, we conducted a multi-faceted review to evaluate the impact, reach and challenges facing GACVS, including the role GACVS plays in informing global, regional and WHO member state vaccine policy. The methods included measures of organizational structure, citation impact, themes approached, and a discussion by previous and current members to evaluate past, present and future challenges. Given the increasing range of data sources and the deployment of many new vaccines, the Committee is facing the complex task of identifying the best available evidence for recommendations on vaccine safety. To help meet the increased demand for public transparency in decision making, GACVS-structured methodology for evidence-based decisions is evolving. GACVS also promotes best practices and capacity building for timely and accurate risk assessment; risk communications; outreach to help countries maintain and, if needed, rebuild public trust in vaccines; and advocacy for bridging the major gaps in vaccine safety capacity globally.
authors.affiliation: Center for Global Health, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA. Electronic address: edwin.asturias@ucdenver.edu.
authors.forename: Edwin J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Asturias
authors.affiliation: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Melinda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wharton
authors.affiliation: Communicable Disease Surveillance, Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pless
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
authors.forename: Noni E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: MacDonald
authors.affiliation: National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Statistics, Modelling and Economics Department, Public Health England, London, UK.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.affiliation: Centre for Global Health Security, Chatham House, London, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Salisbury
authors.affiliation: WHO Collaborating Centre for Advocacy and Training in Pharmacovigilance, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Ghana Medical School, Ghana.
authors.forename: Alexander N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Dodoo
authors.affiliation: Center for Development Management, Asian Institute of Management, Philippines.
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hartigan-Go
authors.affiliation: Department of Essential Medicines and Health Products, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Patrick L F
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Zuber
mesh_terms: D026683:Advisory Committees / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D014612:Vaccines / Q000592:standards*; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D014612:Vaccines
keywords: Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety; Global public health; Immunization program; Vaccine adverse events; Vaccine policy; Vaccine safety