In Australia, monitoring of adverse vaccine reactions, officially called Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI), is largely by way of passive surveillance, ie. initiated by the reporter (patient or health practitioner).  It is estimated that less than 10% of adverse vaccine reactions are ever reported.

Following a disastrous flu vaccination program in 2010 which killed and injured a significant number of children, the government expanded its systems to include some limited active surveillance of adverse vaccine reactions in 2014, called AusVaxSafety.  Active surveillance involves vaccine recipients, or their carer being sent an SMS or email in the days following vaccination.

What is an AEFI?

The Australian Department of Health defines an AEFI as any serious or unexpected adverse event that occurs after a vaccination has been given which may be related to the vaccine itself or to its handling or administration.

Source: Therapeutic Goods Administration

Report an AEFI

If you suspect that you or one of your loved ones has suffered an adverse vaccine reaction (AEFI), it is incumbent on you to ensure this is duly reported to Australia’s vaccine regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

Anyone can report an AEFI, so if your doctor refuses to make a report, you can and should do so yourself.

Note that it is not necessary to establish causation in order to report an AEFI.

1. You (or a health practitioner) may report an AEFI directly to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) using their online form.

2. All state and territory health departments (except Tasmania’s) also accept AEFI reports for National Immunisation Program vaccines which are then forwarded to the TGA.  For more information, check with your state/territory health department.

Database of Adverse Event Notifications

The TGA hosts a searchable database which you can use to verify that your AEFI report has been duly recorded.

This page was last reviewed and updated on 07 February 2025.