By Dr. Anthony Policastro
Most people are not familiar with the Federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). It was a computerized system founded in 1990 to track potential adverse reactions to vaccines.
The goal was to look at reports to see if there was any kind of trend in adverse events after a vaccine. If there were multiple reports of the same kind, it would be something to investigate further.
In order to make reporting easier, it was set up as what is called an open system. That means several things.
The first is that anyone could submit a report. It did not have to be a physician treating a patient. It did not have to be a side effect documented by a physician.
The second is that reports are easily completed. Parents can complete them. Patients can complete them. Anyone else who desires to do so can complete them.
The third is that it is just a big database. The reports are not verified by anyone. One doctor tried to prove a problem with that part of the system. He filed a report that he received a vaccine and it turned him into The Incredible Hulk. The report was accepted.
Despite that fact, there is real value to the system. A good example of that is related to a vaccine against rotavirus that was released in the late 1990’s. There is a condition in infants called intussusception. It is a kind of blockage of the intestine.
It usually occurs at about 2 months of age. However, reports showed up of intussusception in 15 patients. They were older children of 5 months to 9 months. The subsequent investigation found a relation to the vaccine. It was discontinued.
Unfortunately, the system is subject to abuse. There was a period of time where parents whose children had autism blamed vaccines. They used VAERS to say that the reports in the system proved it.
The evaluation showed that the children with autism were blaming vaccines that occurred years before. Many of them were using the reports in the system to file lawsuits claiming that vaccine caused the autism. That was not true.
In November 2025 FDA Commissioner Marty Makary reported that 10 children had died from the COVID shot. The data used to reach that conclusion was from VAERS. Whether that turns out to be true or not will depend upon further research.
That information also needs to balanced by the fact that between 2020 and 2022 about 1600 children died from COVID infection. It was the 8th most common cause of death in children from any cause. It was the 5th most common cause of death in children from all diseases. It was the most common cause of death from infections or respiratory problems.
What is less clear is how many COVID deaths were prevented by the vaccine. Of course it is reasonable to study those 10 cases further.
What is also reasonable is to recognize the issues with the VAERS system. We need to make sure the reports were not just someone trying to blame the vaccine when there was another possible cause. Otherwise, it would be like believing that vaccines can turn you into The Incredible Hulk.