Medicines are used to treat infectious diseases, manage symptoms of chronic diseases, and help relieve pain and suffering. Medicines are generally safe when used as prescribed or as their labeling describes. There are, however, risks in taking any medicine.
Each year in the United States, adverse drug events—injury resulting from the use of medication—result in over 700,000 visits to hospital emergency departments. Many adverse drug events are preventable. Patients and caregivers can help reduce the risk of harm from medicines by learning about medication safety.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is a group of medical and public health experts that develops recommendations on how to use vaccines to control diseases in the United States. The recommendations stand as public health advice that will lead to a reduction in the incidence of vaccine preventable diseases and an increase in the safe use of vaccines and related biological products.