Due to the growing concerns regarding vaccine safety, I have been working to address these concerns.
The country’s vaccine program has had a very positive impact on public
health by preventing and reducing the outbreak of vaccine-preventable
diseases. Because of its many successes, the public has a great deal of
trust in the government and its ability to preserve the safety of
vaccines. This trust is critical to continuing progress in this area as
we develop new vaccines and require new vaccines of the public. Without
serious vaccine safety measures in place, we will find ourselves in a
very precarious position. The current system for monitoring vaccine
safety is inadequate and there is not enough coordination and not
enough effort to investigate the biological mechanisms underlying
vaccine-related adverse events. The Vaccine Safety and Public
Confidence Assurance Act of 2007 works to increase public confidence in
vaccines by:
- Creating a new, independent agency of vaccine safety that reports directly to the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
-
Establishing a scientific review panel, similar to NIH’s study
sections, to evaluate the scientific merits of investigator initiated
research;
- Establishing a balanced 18 Member Advisory Committee to formulate a
safety research agenda and to prioritize research approved by the
scientific study group.
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