Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
AZ got 23,800 doses of now-recalled H1N1 vaccine for kids: But health officials say there are no safety worries
[The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson]
Dec. 15--State health officials say 23,800 doses of recalled H1N1 vaccine were shipped to Arizona, but that there are no safety concerns.
Vaccine maker Sanofi-Aventis said today it would recall 800,000 doses of pediatric H1N1 injectable swine flu vaccine because it is not as potent as it should be.
But the medical director of the Arizona Department of Health Services' immunization program says parents don't need to worry, nor do they need to get their children re-vaccinated.
Dr. Karen Lewis said the vaccines were for children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years. In an interview today, she did not have specific details about where in the state the shipments went. Medical providers who received the vaccines are being asked to send unused doses back to the manufacturer.
Arizona has received 1.6 million doses of H1N1 vaccine since it became available in October.
"It's a quality control issue," Lewis said of the recall. "In terms of how people respond to the vaccines, it should be fine. It shows just how safe the process is. ... The drop in level is so slight that it's not expected to have any effect on immunity. It's been recalled out of extra caution."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that swine flu has killed 10,000 Americans since it emerged earlier this year.
The Pima County Health Department is recommending that providers make the vaccine available to the entire population, not only those in high-risk groups. Several providers, including Walmart in conjunction with Mollen Immunization Clinics, are already giving out vaccines for $15 with no restrictions on who gets them.
To see more of The Arizona Daily Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.azstarnet.com.
Copyright (c) 2009, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
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[The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson]
Dec. 15--State health officials say 23,800 doses of recalled H1N1 vaccine were shipped to Arizona, but that there are no safety concerns.
Vaccine maker Sanofi-Aventis said today it would recall 800,000 doses of pediatric H1N1 injectable swine flu vaccine because it is not as potent as it should be.
But the medical director of the Arizona Department of Health Services' immunization program says parents don't need to worry, nor do they need to get their children re-vaccinated.
Dr. Karen Lewis said the vaccines were for children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years. In an interview today, she did not have specific details about where in the state the shipments went. Medical providers who received the vaccines are being asked to send unused doses back to the manufacturer.
Arizona has received 1.6 million doses of H1N1 vaccine since it became available in October.
"It's a quality control issue," Lewis said of the recall. "In terms of how people respond to the vaccines, it should be fine. It shows just how safe the process is. ... The drop in level is so slight that it's not expected to have any effect on immunity. It's been recalled out of extra caution."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that swine flu has killed 10,000 Americans since it emerged earlier this year.
The Pima County Health Department is recommending that providers make the vaccine available to the entire population, not only those in high-risk groups. Several providers, including Walmart in conjunction with Mollen Immunization Clinics, are already giving out vaccines for $15 with no restrictions on who gets them.
To see more of The Arizona Daily Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.azstarnet.com.
Copyright (c) 2009, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
http://investing.businessweek.com/r...Tribune||provider||ACQUIREMEDIA&symbol=LLY:US