Risk of death is not increased in people aged 9-26 years old in the 30 days after receiving any vaccination, according to Natalie L. McCarthy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and her associates.
Among nearly 2.2 million enrollees of the Vaccine Safety Database, 1,100 deaths occurred within 12 months after vaccination, and 76 (7%) occurred within 30 days of vaccination. Of these deaths, 59 had medical records which could be confirmed, with 33 due to external causes such as suicide and accidents, 1 due to an unknown cause, and 25 due to non-external causes such as neoplasm, circulatory disease, and respiratory disease.
The relative risk for influenza vaccination and any vaccination due to non-external sources was 0.44 and 0.57, and the relative risk for the influenza vaccine and all vaccines due to all causes of death was 0.42 and 0.72. The relative risk for the 4-valent human papillomavirus (4vHPV) vaccine from non-external sources was 1.28, and 1.12 from all sources. No vaccine had a significant association with death.
“This research should reassure the public with regard to the safety of 4vHPV vaccine, as well as other vaccines routinely administered to individuals 9 to 26 years of age,” the investigators concluded.
Find the full study in Pediatrics (2016;137[3]:e20152970).