Report an adverse reaction to a vaccine: Hospitals
Under the mandatory reporting requirements for hospitals, hospitals must report, in writing, within 30 days of documenting the serious adverse drug reaction within the facility. We encourage hospitals to report sooner, if possible.
Report a serious adverse reaction
Health care professionals who work in a hospital should check with their hospital administration to learn about any new requirements and internal procedures.
However, hospitals do not have to report an adverse reaction to a vaccine if they have submitted an Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) report on that case to their local public health unit. Learn more about reporting adverse events following an immunization.
Tracking adverse events following immunization
Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) share the monitoring of the safety of vaccines in Canada.
PHAC manages the Canadian Adverse Events Following Immunization Surveillance System (CAEFISS), which is a post-market vaccine safety surveillance system. CAEFISS reports are submitted by public health authorities in provinces and territories, which in turn receive them from local public health units. Nurses, doctors and pharmacists who provide immunizations or care for people who experience an adverse event from a vaccine generate most of these reports.
In addition, when manufacturers are made aware of adverse reactions to a drug or vaccine, they must report to Health Canada:
- serious adverse reactions in Canada
- unexpected serious adverse reactions in other countries
- unusual failures in efficacy for new drugs in Canada
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