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How to report an adverse event to VAERS

• Option 1: (preferred).
• Option 2: .

Who can report to VAERS

• Patients.
• Parents, guardians or other family members.
• Caregivers.
• Healthcare providers.
• Vaccine manufacturers.
• Anyone else.

ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø and FDA encourage anyone who has (or is made aware of) an adverse event after vaccination to report it to VAERS, even if they are not sure the vaccine caused the problem.

See for more information. If you need further assistance, please email [email protected] or call 1-800-822-7967.

What to report to VAERS

General public

Any side effect or health problem after vaccination that is concerning to you, including adverse events.

Healthcare providers

• Required:A
  • Any adverse event listed in the that occurs within the specified time period after vaccination, including but not limited to .
  • An adverse event listed by the vaccine manufacturer as a contraindication to further doses of the vaccine. This means you should not get any more doses of the vaccine.

• Strongly encouraged:
  • Any adverse event that occurs after the administration of a vaccine licensed in the United States, whether or not it is clear that a vaccine caused the adverse event.
  • Vaccine administration errors.

COVID-19 and mpox vaccines

There are specific reporting requirements for healthcare providers administering and vaccines.

Vaccine manufacturers

All adverse events that come to their attention.

After you submit a VAERS report

1. VAERS staff give each report a unique identification number (ID).
   1. This helps VAERS staff gather and track more information about the report, if needed.
2. After assigning the ID, VAERS staff send a confirmation letter to the person who made the report (electronically or by mail).
3. When a report is classified as serious, VAERS staff take further action by trying to obtain medical records. This helps them gain a better understanding of what happened.
   1. To get these medical records, VAERS staff contact health institutions or public health authorities responsible for maintaining them.
   2. Once obtained, these medical records are added to the record associated with the VAERS ID. All this is done while ensuring compliance with privacy standards.

Please be aware:

• The filing of a VAERS report is helpful for public health and appreciated. The confirmation letter may be the only communication that VAERS staff will have with the person who made the VAERS report.
  • If needed, VAERS staff may contact the person who made the report to ask for missing information and recovery status.
• VAERS staff generally cannot make a determination as to whether a vaccine caused the reported adverse event based on VAERS data alone.

Multiple reports from different sources for the same event

In some cases, VAERS receives multiple reports for the same adverse event. (For example, the person who had the adverse event and their healthcare provider could submit separate reports for the same adverse event.) VAERS scientists review the reports, identify any multiples or follow-up reports, and attach them to the original submission. This review process ensures the same adverse event is not counted more than once, even in cases where there are multiple reports on the same adverse event.

Accessing VAERS data from ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø’s WONDER System

VAERS data (without patient-identifying information) are available to the public online through a system called .

WONDER gives public health professionals, researchers and the general public easy access to a range of helpful information. WONDER supports health promotion and disease prevention by providing timely facts and data for decision-making, program evaluation and resource allocation. It aims to make it easier for public health professionals to find the information they need and for the general public to access specific details from ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø, including VAERS data.

NEW! Expanded public access to VAERS data

On May 8, 2025, ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø and FDA expanded public access to VAERS data in the WONDER database (wonder.cdc.gov) and in VAERS downloadable files (vaers.hhs.gov) to provide a more complete picture of all reported adverse events following vaccination received. This enhancement is part of a broader ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø and FDA effort to improve transparency and access to vaccine safety data, while continuing to protect patient privacy.

• Prior to May 8, VAERS public data sets only included the first submitted VAERS report (or primary report) for a patient, vaccine and dose combination.
• VAERS public data sets now include all subsequent reports (or secondary reports) from the same or different reporters, for the same patient, vaccine, and dose combination.
• Based on this enhancement, in the downloadable data file, it will appear that additional reports have been added, but these are actually the subsequent or secondary reports that have previously not been included in the public data sets.
• It's important to note these new reports are related to already reported events and do not represent additional reports of adverse events.

Step-by-step instructions for accessing this data are available for download.