VAERS
Medical abbreviation · Infectious Disease
| Stands for | Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
VAERS stands for Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, an infectious disease abbreviation.
US national early-warning system, co-managed by the CDC and FDA since 1990, that collects reports of health problems occurring after vaccination. Anyone, including patients and parents, can submit a report, and providers are required to report certain events.
Example: Fainting after HPV vaccine documented and reported to VAERS per clinic policy.
Usage notes
VAERS reports do not prove that a vaccine caused an event; the system detects possible signals that are then studied in systems such as the Vaccine Safety Datalink. Raw VAERS counts are frequently misused online for this reason. It was created under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986. Pronounced "vairs".
Related abbreviations
More infectious disease abbreviations
- ACIP – Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
- AIDS – Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
- AMR – Antimicrobial resistance
- ARF – Acute rheumatic fever
- ART – Antiretroviral therapy
- ASP – Antimicrobial stewardship program
- BCG – Bacillus Calmette-Guérin
- BSI – Bloodstream infection
- C. diff – Clostridioides difficile
- CD4 – Cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4 T-cell count)
- CDI – Clostridioides difficile infection
- CMV – Cytomegalovirus
See all 92 infectious disease abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.