Summary

You have now completed the learning for this module. These are the main points that you have learned.

• The characteristics of the five types of AEFI are Vaccine product-related reaction, Vaccine quality defect-related reaction, Immunization error-related reaction, Immunization anxiety-related reaction, Coincidental event.
• The causes of the five types of AEFI and the practices that can minimize their occurrence.
• Mass vaccination campaigns can lead to an increase in immunization errors, for example, because of staff inexperience in vaccinating a wider age group, and to the spread of unfounded rumours that may damage the campaign.
• The importance of comparing background rates of adverse events with rates of vaccine-attributable reactions and taking account of factors that may confound the results of an AEFI investigation.