To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to monitor the incidence of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis after vaccination.
Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is an extremely rare neurological condition thought to be caused by a range of viral infections. Although ADEM has been reported in temporal association with several vaccines, there is a lack of good scientific evidence to show that routine vaccination is causally-associated with ADEM.
As with all pharmaceutical products used in the United Kingdom, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) keeps the safety of vaccines under close review. This includes monitoring reports of suspected adverse reactions (ADRs), spontaneously provided by health professionals and patients through the 'Yellow Card Scheme'. Since 1968, the MHRA has received 10 Yellow Card reports of suspected ADEM in association with vaccinations given in the UK (see following table). Many millions of people have been exposed to these vaccines over this time period and the benefits far outweigh the risks.
It is important to bear in mind that reports submitted via the 'Yellow Card Scheme' relate only to suspicions that a vaccine or medicine may have caused a medical condition. Reports may also relate to coincidental events due to underlying or undiagnosed illness. Such reports are therefore not proof of a causal association. It is also not possible to ascertain the number of people who may have suffered an adverse event following vaccination using data from the Yellow Card Scheme. This is because reporting is voluntary and the level of under-reporting is unknown. For these reasons, it is not possible to assess the number of cases of ADEM following vaccination using the Yellow Card Scheme.
Reports of ADEM in association with vaccines | |
Vaccine | Number of Yellow Card reports |
Diphtheria Tetanus Pertussis (wholecell) | 1 |
Hepatitis A vaccine | 1 |
Influenza vaccine | 1 |
Japanese encephalitis vaccine | 1 |
Measles and rubella vaccine | 1 |
Meningococcal vaccine | 1 |
Rabies vaccine | 1 |
Typhoid vaccine | 2 |
Pneumococcal vaccine | 1 |
Yes2 people think so
No0 people think not
Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.