Evaluating the safety profile of poliomyelitis vaccines: insights from post-marketing surveillance

Poliomyelitis (POLIO) vaccines are widely used because of their high clinical effectiveness and minimal side effects.However, as post-marketing surveillance data have been collected, several serious adverse events (SAEs) linked to poliomyelitis vaccination have been reported.Currently, there is a lack of quantitative studies using real-world data, and detailed information about these adverse events is scarce.To fill this gap, adverse event signals associated with the poliomyelitis vaccine were extracted and analyzed using U.S. data.The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) serves as an important resource for post-marketing vaccine safety surveillance.Various statistical methods, such as the reporting odds ratio (ROR), the Proportional Reporting Ratio (PRR) approach, and the Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN), were utilized to identify adverse event signals linked to poliomyelitis vaccination.Positive signals corresponding to designated medical events (DMEs) were identified for in-depth comparison and analysis.An analysis of 60,710 adverse events related to the poliomyelitis vaccine revealed 342 positive signals across 25 System Organ Classifications, with the most frequent being General disorders and administration site conditions.Three potential positive new signals consistent with Preferred Terms (PTs) were identified in DME: Erythema multiforme, Dermatitis exfoliative and Anaphylactoid reaction. This study identified disproportionality signals for erythema multiforme, exfoliative dermatitis, and anaphylactoid reaction in VAERS reports following poliomyelitis vaccination. These findings represent statistical reporting associations rather than evidence of causality and should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating signals requiring confirmation in well-designed epidemiological studies. Prompt clinical evaluation is recommended if severe or persistent symptoms occur.