Important: VAERS reports alone cannot determine if a vaccine caused an adverse event. Reports may contain incomplete, inaccurate, or unverified information. Correlation does not equal causation.
Zoster Live (Zostavax) in 2018
19,133 adverse event reports (+391% vs 2017)
2018 Reporting Summary
In 2018, 19,133 adverse event reports were filed for Zoster Live (Zostavax) in VAERS. This represents 13.6% of all 140,312 reports for this vaccine.
Of these reports, 32 mentioned death, 910 involved hospitalization, 1,499 required ER visits, and 340 reported disability.
Compared to the average of 6,673 reports per year for this vaccine, 2018 was above average (+187%).
💡 What This Means
High report volume: 19,133 reports in a single year is significant. This typically reflects large-scale vaccination campaigns rather than increased risk per dose. Without knowing total doses administered in 2018, raw report counts cannot indicate safety rates.
Year-over-year change: The large change from 2017 likely reflects a ramp-up in vaccination (e.g., new vaccine rollout or expanded eligibility) rather than a change in per-dose risk.
All Years for Zoster Live (Zostavax)
Understanding Yearly Data
Quick Facts
Related Pages
Data Source
This data comes from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), jointly managed by CDC and FDA.