UNITED STATES: Shortage May Force Vaccine Booster Delay

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

UNITED STATES: Shortage May Force Vaccine Booster Delay

Wall Street Journal (12.20.07) - Thursday, December 20, 2007
Jennifer Corbett Dooren

Last week, Merck & Co. recalled 1.2 million doses of the Hib vaccine after finding that some equipment used to make it had been contaminated with bacteria. Now, CDC is asking health care providers to delay giving the Hib booster shot, typically administered between 12 and 15 months, to most children. Sanofi-Pasteur, which supplies about half the Hib vaccine used in the United States, will not be able to quickly make up for the half normally furnished by Merck, CDC said. Delaying the last shot is unlikely to raise the risk of disease due to the protection afforded by earlier doses, the agency added. The Hib vaccine prevents diseases caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B, including meningitis and pneumonia. The booster shot should not be delayed, however, for children considered at high risk for Hib, including American Indians, Alaska natives, those with asplenia, sickle cell disease, HIV, immunodeficiency conditions or certain cancers.
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