Background : We describe a case of Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP) occurring 10 days after a meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine which came to the attention of a Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) investigator (but did not occur in the VSD cohort). Various case reports have been made of HSP occurring after vaccination. Because of this, we studied the VSD cohort to estimate the 42 day post vaccination incidence rate of HSP in the VSD population age 16 to 20 years following the polysaccharide meningococcal vaccine.
Methods : Electronic data from all 8 VSD sites was gathered. All subjects who received a meningococcal polysaccharide were followed for 42 days after that vaccination for evidence of HSP.
Results : No cases of HSP were seen in the 42 days following 37,926 doses of Menomune. However, a background rate of 4.2/100,000 person years was seen in this adolescent and young adult population.
Discussion : These data provide the strongest evidence so far that HSP is not associated with menincococcal polysaccharide vaccine use.