Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS)

The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) provides independent, authoritative, scientific advice to WHO on vaccine safety issues of global or regional concern with the potential to affect in the short or long term national immunization programmes.

Website: GACVS 

Country: Switzerland

Last evaluation: 2020

Website audience(s): 

Healthcare professionals, policy makers

The GACVS was established in 1999 by the World Health Organization to respond promptly, efficiently, and with scientific rigour to vaccine safety issues of potential global importance. Its members are acknowledged experts from around the world in the fields of epidemiology, statistics, paediatrics, internal medicine, pharmacology and toxicology, infectious diseases, public health, immunology and autoimmunity, drug regulation and safety.

The website of the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety provides the conclusions of the biannual meetings of the Committee. These relate to general safety issues relevant to all vaccines such as the safety of adjuvants as well as to a number of vaccine-specific issues pertaining to long-standing vaccines, new vaccines and vaccines still under development.

Reports of Committee meetings are posted twice a year, with additional statements and questions and answers on specific issues published as required. Material in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish is posted on an ongoing basis throughout the year.

Visit Vaccine Safety Net portal; with live news from the VSN members and other VSN related information and resources.