Local Impact of Pediatric H1N1 Vaccine Recall

No Safety Issues Related to Recall

Today, vaccine manufacturer Sanofi-Pasteur and the Centers for Disease Control announced a recall of 800,000 doses of pediatric H1N1 vaccine because it is not as potent as it should be. It is recalling specific lot numbers of infant vaccine (used for children between six months and three years), in prefilled syringes. There are no safety concerns with the recalled vaccine. Children who received this vaccine will not need to be re-vaccinated. The vaccine being recalled has a slightly lower antigen content. Antigen is the ingredient in the vaccine that helps produce the immune response. According to the CDC "the vaccine in these lots is still expected to be effective in stimulating a protective response despite this slight reduction in the concentration of antigen". Children under 10 years old need 2 doses of H1N1 vaccine, a month apart, for the optimal immune response. Public Health Madison and Dane County received 500 doses of this vaccine. Some of the affected vaccine has been administered and the remainder will be removed from supply stocks and returned to the manufacturer. Administration records for the clinics held on December 12 and 14 are still being entered, so Public Health will not know how much was administered for a few days. Once this information is available, parents of the children who received this vaccine will be contacted by Public Health. Those children who received this vaccine will not need to be re-vaccinated. Public Health has other H1N1 vaccine in stock that can be used to immunize children six months through three years. -END- NEWS RELEASE - Public Health Madison & Dane County