Parents everywhere are in a minor panic over the immunization recall announced yesterday. Merck recalled 1.2 million doses of the lots of PedvaxHIB vaccine and two lots of its Comvax vaccine due to lack of assurance of product sterility. Both of the vaccines protect against Haemophilus influenzae type b, which used to be the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in young children. Hib also protects against other diseases like pneumonia and the Comvax brand also protects against Hepatitis B.
Merck has stated that they have recalled the vaccine because they could not insure quality standards. No contamination has been found in any of the actual vaccine. However, one of their plants in Pennsylvania had a ‘contamination problem.’ Sterility tests of the lots of vaccines (which are done before the vaccines leave the plant) turned up no contamination.
Merck states that the risk of contamination is very, very low.
What You Should Look For
If you call your doctor today because your child has received this vaccine since April 2007, you are likely going to hear this advice: just watch for infection for up to a week after the child has received the vaccinations. There is nothing further you can do at this point. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) says that if no sign of infection has occurred within a week, you are “out of the woods.”
Other Issues
The recall will result in a shortage of the vaccine. The CDC is urging other manufacturers to increase their supply to avoid a shortage. However, the CDC says that there is no immediate health risk because over 90% of children have been vaccinated.
While it is true that the news is disconcerting, I find that putting it into perspective is important. Before the vaccine, one in every two hundred children was infected and about 25% of those cases resulted in permanent brain damage. Statistically speaking, there was much more of a substantial danger in not being vaccinated.
A recall does not necessarily mean that your child will be infected or received an infected dose. You can be assured that as we find out more about the situation I will write on it here! Feel free to ask any questions below or in the forums and I’ll do my best to answer them as I find answers!
Come discuss this with other parents here.