Recent H1N1 Vaccine Recall is Nothing to Fear

On the news you may have heard about the 800,000 H1N1 vaccines that were recalled because they had lost some of their potency.

The good news is that the vaccines are still perfectly safe. Sanofi Pasteur, the manufacturer of the recalled vaccine, conducts routine stability testing to make sure vaccines don’t lose their potency over time. The company recently identified four lots of vaccine whose antigen content had dropped slightly lower than the specification limit and decided to recall them.

The recalled vaccines were for children between the ages of 6 months and 35 months. Children who received the vaccine will still be immune and do not need to worry about being revaccinated. The drop in antigen content is minimal and likely won’t result in a significant reduction in immunization. Children under the age of 10 should still receive the recommended second dose one month from their first dose, but do not need to receive the first dose again.

The FDA and the CDC have determined that children who received the vaccine are not in any danger and do not need to be re-immunized. Parents whose children received the recalled vaccine don’t need to worry about doing anything except completing the two-dose immunization series if not already completed.

For more information on the recall visit the CDC website