Supply of Key Children's Vaccine Almost Back to Normal

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The CDC also noted that many children may have received Hib immunization through certain combination vaccines such as the DTaP-IPV/Hib (Pentacel), so physicians need to assess this carefully "to ensure appropriate coverage while minimizing extra doses of unneeded vaccine."

Last November, CDC officials said the Hib vaccine shortfall had caused them to monitor Hib infections. At the time, the agency said it had not yet seen any increase in cases. However, it said that stepped-up surveillance was important since the vaccine had virtually eliminated Hib infections in the United States since its introduction in 1988. Before the introduction of the vaccine, some 20,000 U.S. children would get serious and sometime fatal Hib infections each year, the CDC said.

Hib infection can cause a variety of illnesses, including meningitis (inflammation of the membranes covering the spinal column and brain), blood stream infections and pneumonia, according to the CDC. Hib is not a cause of the seasonal flu.

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"The shortage is not serious but it is concerning," Michael Jackson, an epidemiologist with the CDC, said in November.

The shortfall was caused by Merck's recall of certain lots of Hib conjugate vaccine, followed by a suspension of production beginning in December 2007. At the time, Merck spokeswoman Amy Rose said that problems with the vaccine's sterilization process necessitated recalling the vaccine and then stopping production. The vaccines are marketed as PedvaxHIB and Comvax.

The fact that Sanofi-Pasteur makes the Hib vaccine rendered the shortfall less severe, Jackson said.

He noted that tracking Hib cases isn't easy. There are many different types of influenzae and there are many steps involved in testing and reporting the various types, so information often gets lost along the way, he said.

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