 | |
| Abbreviation | GACVS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1999 |
| Purpose | "To respond promptly, efficiently, and with scientific rigour to vaccine safety issues of potential global importance."[1] |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
Membership | 15 experts |
Chair | Dr Rita Helfand |
Vice-Chair | Professor Dure Samin Akram |
Parent organization | World Health Organization |
| Website | Official website |
The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) is a group of experts that provides independent and authoritative guidance to the World Health Organization (WHO) on the topic of safe vaccine use.
To maintain its independence, GACVS members may not represent WHO in any way. The Committee was established by the WHO in 1999, and as part of its responsibilities, oversees the Vaccine Safety Net. The group meets twice yearly and publishes its findings in the WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record.
Engagements and topics undertaken by the GACVS have included the safety of vaccines for measles, influenza, human papilloma virus, Japanese encephalitis, rotavirus and hepatitis B. In May 2020, as part the WHO's aim to coordinate global research on tests, treatments and vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2, the GACVS addressed the issue of rapidly developing COVID-19 vaccines during a global emergency and growing misinformation and vaccine hesitancy.