When your doctor won't report a vaccine reaction...

you should know that Federal law requires doctors or other health care professionals who give vaccines to:

REPORT ADVERSE EVENTS (hospitalizations, injuries, and deaths) occurring within 30 days of vaccination, including convulsions, shock, paralysis and other serious events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). The doctor or other health care provider that administered the vaccination is not supposed to make a judgment as to whether the adverse event that occurred following vaccination was caused by the vaccine or not caused by the vaccine. The law says it is the duty of all vaccine administrators to report the event to the federal government regardless of whether they believe the vaccine caused the event.

RECORD ADVERSE EVENTS following vaccination in a person's permanent medical record.

KEEP A PERMANENT RECORD of the date, manufacturer's name and lot number of all vaccines given.

PROVIDE INFORMATION on the vaccine benefits and risks BEFORE the vaccine is given either to the individual who will receive the vaccine or the parent or guardian of that individual.

If your doctor refuses to report a serious event which occurred following a vaccination given to you or your child within 30 days of vaccination to VAERS, you may:

April 5, 2008