This was the fourth in a series of workshops by the IOM's Vaccine Safety Forum, established in 1995 to examine critical issues relevant to the safety of vaccines used in the U.S. and to discuss methods for improving the safety of vaccines and vaccination programs. Membership in the forum includes representatives from parent or consumer groups, vaccine manufacturers, federal agencies responsible for regulating vaccines, and academic medicine. In reviewing key issues that emerged from the workshop, Evans pointed to some important themes. Add to a growing level of public mistrust the immediate and sometimes inaccurate dissemination of information to the public after any catastrophic event, and it becomes clear how easily miscommunication and the resulting community outrage can occur. Risk communication should recognize a diversity of form and context needs in the general population.
Mandated immunization can influence the content and the form of risk communication.
Estimates of the risks of vaccines are commonly uncertain. This uncertainty should be stated. The better defined risks should be quantified as much as possible. The rarity of a disease makes it more difficult to communicate its risks. Improving the understanding of risks through continued research should be ongoing.