National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: Revisions and Additions to the Vaccine Injury Table

On July 13, 2001, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) published in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing changes to the regulations governing the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). Specifically, the Secretary proposed revisions to the Vaccine Injury Table (the Table). The primary proposal made in the NPRM was that vaccines containing live, oral, rhesus-based rotavirus be added to the Table as a distinct category, with intussusception listed as a covered Table injury. This proposal was based upon the Secretary's determination that the condition of intussusception can reasonably be determined in some circumstances to be caused by vaccines containing live, oral, rhesus- based rotavirus. The Secretary is now making this amendment to the Table by final rule. The Secretary is also making additional amendments to the Table and to the Table's Qualifications and Aids to Interpretation (Qualifications and Aids), described below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, as proposed in the NPRM. The changes implemented here are authorized by section 2114(c) and (e) of the Public Health Service Act (the Act).