Hundreds of thousands of swine flu shots for children have been recalled. However, the issue is not safety. Rather, it is because tests indicate the vaccine doses lost some strength, and are insufficient to produce the necessary immune response, government health officials said Tuesday.
The recall involves is Sanofi Pasteur vaccine. About 800,000 pre-filled syringes intended for young children, ages 6 months to nearly 3 years were recalled. The shots were distributed across the country last month, but problematically, most have already been used, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC indicated that they do not feel that those given doses of the problematic vaccine need to be re-immunized. The CDC feels they probably received a sufficient dose. However, according to the CDC, the recall was made because "we wanted to make sure that doses that weren't already given won't be."
Specifically, Sanofi's affected vaccine included only pre-filled syringes containing 0.25 milliliters for children 6 to 35 months old. These doses did not contain the preservative thimerosal. Some have been reluctant to give their children thimerosal-laden vaccine because of unconfirmed fears that thimerosal may be linked to autism.
Tests done before the shots were shipped showed that the vaccines were of sufficient strength. However, checkpoint tests done weeks later indicated the strength had fallen slightly below required levels. The CDC has no statement or theory on why the potency dropped. The cause of the potency drop is being investigated.
Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com
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