The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS, is a national vaccine safety surveillance program created as an outgrowth of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (NCVIA) and is administered by the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. VAERS collects and analyzes data from reports of adverse events following vaccination. Since 1990, VAERS has received over 123,000 reports, most of which describe mild side effects such as fever. Very rarely, people experience serious adverse events following immunization. By monitoring such events, VAERS helps to identify any important new safety concerns that otherwise may not come to light before licensure. | 
