| The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS), an expert clinical and scientific advisory body, was established by WHO to deal with vaccine safety issues of potential global importance independently from WHO and with scientific rigour.1 GACVS held its twenty-first meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, during 3–4 December 2009. The committee reviewed the safety of pandemic A (H1N1) influenza vaccines and the safety profile of a meningococcus A conjugate vaccine that will soon be deployed in sub-Saharan Africa. The committee also discussed the use of bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine in areas with a high prevalence of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and reviewed progress with global monitoring of adverse events following immunization (AEFI). |
