H1N1 Vaccine Recall Does Not Affect Harford Health Department Recipients

From the Harford County Health Department:

On Tuesday evening, December 22, 2009, MedImmune, the manufacturer of H1N1 FluMist vaccine, announced a non-safety related recall of 13 batches (referred to as “lots”) of live attenuated (LAIV) “nasal mist” influenza vaccine.

The Harford County Health Department received several shipments containing portions of these FluMist lots during October. However, the Department administered them shortly after receiving it, when manufacturer testing determined that the supply had an acceptable level of potency.

This recall never was associated with any safety risk and revaccination is not recommended for persons who received one from any of the implicated LAIV lots.

As part of its quality assurance program, the manufacturer of the nasal spray monovalent 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine, MedImmune, performs routine, ongoing stability testing of the vaccine. Stability testing means measuring the strength (also called potency) of the vaccine over time to make sure it does not go below a pre-specified limit during the vaccine’s “shelf life.” In this instance, the manufacturer determined on the basis of weekly testing that vaccine which was produced with adequate potency, had decreased in strength over time.

The “health effects” section of the recall states that the vaccine that was administered in October and November fully met potency requirements. According to the National Centers for Disease Control, there are no safety concerns with these lots of 2009 H1N1 vaccine since all lots successfully passed pre-release testing for safety, purity and potency. The vaccine was within the specified potency range at the time the vaccine was distributed and the slight decrease in strength should not affect how the vaccine works. The recall has been issued in the event some doses, still in storage might not yet have been administered.

To access the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s question and answer page, visit their website at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/sprayrecall_qa.htm. For more information, visit Harford County Health Department website at www.harfordcountyhealth.com or call 410-612-1781.

Bel Air, MD – December 23, 2009 – The Harford County Health Department will be conducting two additional H1N1 influenza injectable vaccine clinics for the general population on Wednesday, January 6th and Friday, January 8th, 2009 at their Woodbridge Station operations center located at 1321 Woodbridge Station Way in Edgewood, Maryland. Both vaccination clinics will be available at no cost, but by appointment only.

The Wednesday, January 6th vaccination clinic will be held between the hours of 1:30pm through 6:30pm, for which appointments can be scheduled beginning at 8:30am on Monday, January 4th by calling the appointment Call-Center at 410-877-1050.

The Friday, January 8th vaccination clinic will be held between the hours of 8:30am through 4:30pm. Individuals wishing to schedule appointments for this date may begin calling 410-877-1050 at 8:30am on Wednesday, January 6th.

Persons with appointments are instructed not to arrive more than ten minutes prior to their scheduled appointment time.

For additional information, including the opportunity to view the Governor’s December 8, 2009 press release in its entirety, visit the Harford County Health Department website at www.harfordcountyhealth.com or call 410-612-1781.