Of 1,224 reported cases of Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI), only 70 cases are serious and no deaths have been attributed to side effects. Dr Roupesh Jaggeshar, Chairman of the National Pharmacovigilance Committee, says that side effects occur with all types of vaccines and makes it clear that side effects manifest themselves according to the individual condition of the vaccinated. However, the side effects may not appear 14 days after the administration of the vaccine.
Possible symptoms
Disrupted monthly cycles, numbness in arms or legs, fluctuating blood pressure, abscesses, paralysis, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, severe headache, red and bulging eyes, extreme aches and pains, even having to use a cane to get around …. There are many symptoms that can be attributed to AEFI. Some even a month after the second dose was given. However, Dr Roupesh Jaggeshar is clear: “After 14 days, it is not possible to attribute an adverse reaction to the vaccine according to the WHO and worldwide.”
According to our interlocutor, the first side effects appear during the first 30 minutes following the inoculation. Moreover, the person who presents symptoms is asked to fill in a form with the staff, specifying his or her symptoms. “We specify the type of side effects and the patient is sent to the hospital for treatment,” he says. He adds, “According to WHO regulations, the vaccinated patient has 14 days to report any adverse events that he or she can link to the vaccine dose. After the 14 days according to WHO, the symptoms cannot be classified as AEFI.”
Attribution after Assessment
The Causality Assessment Committee follows the international structure in assigning an AEFI level. Section A is for side effects that are not considered serious, such as fever, nausea and pain. Section B is for cases such as abscesses, severe pain and any symptoms that are more persistent than section A, which requires further observation. Section C is for all those very serious cases such as partial or complete paralysis among others. Those who develop a side effect and suspect it to be directly related to their particular vaccine should visit their General Practitioner as soon as possible for a proper report. This is done automatically as all AEFIs are then entered into the District Health Information System (DHIS) and it is this cell that informs the Causality Assessment Committee whose task is to determine at what level and with what urgency the patient should be monitored or treated.
Disrupted monthly cycle rate, too low
On the widely reported monthly cycle disruption and fertility in recent times, Dr Jaggeshar says, “So far, no vaccine has been proven to affect fertility.” Nevertheless, he does not rule out that thousands of similar cases of disruption have been recorded worldwide. “ The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has recorded a total of 28,943 reports out of 44.2 million vaccines on a variety of menstrual side effects have been reported for Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca. But this rate is considered low,” he concludes.
