KYW Newsradio's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — One of the biggest questions surrounding the vaccines is long-term side effects. Scientists expect them to be rare, but it does not mean they won't be watching for them.
The CDC has one message being repeated over and over again: no one ever stops monitoring the safety of vaccines and all medicine even after trials end and rollout starts.
However, they do not expect any long-term side effects of vaccines. One of the major reasons is that unusual side effects usually occur within the first two months after testing begins.
There is a concern that it can be difficult to identify whether a problem is due to a vaccine or if a person has fallen ill for an untreated reason.
Some adverse health effects seen may be due to coincidence and not vaccine-associated.
It's important that every side effect, whether rare or not, be fully investigated. Success of a project like this will be dependent on transparency.
