Vaccine recall will cause shortage, but no ill health effects expected

The voluntary recall of 1million doses of two common childhood vaccines given primarily to children younger than 5 will affect the state's vaccine supply, health officials said Friday.

But the recall should not negatively impact the health of children who have already received vaccines, officials from the state's Division of Health said.

Earlier this week, Merck and Co. issued a voluntary recall of roughly 1 million doses of two vaccines used to protect against meningitis, one of which was a combination vaccine that also protects against hepatitis B.

The Nevada State Heath Division's immunization program does not distribute the combination vaccine, health officials said Friday.

The health division did, however, receive and ship 14,470 doses of the Hib vaccine to about 107 health care providers.

State health officials said children who have already received the vaccine won't need to be revaccinated.

"We do expect this nationwide Hib vaccine recall to cause a shortage in Nevada. The extent to which this recall will impact our vaccine supply is being determined and is dependent upon the availability from the other manufacturer,'' Doug Banghart, the state's immunization program manager, said in a news release.

As a precautionary measure, parents whose children recently received a dose of the recalled vaccine should watch for signs of infection such as redness and swelling at the injection site.

If a reaction is noticed, a doctor or health care provider should be contacted, health officials say.

Merck announced the recall Wednesday as a preventive measure after discovering there might be a problem with sterility of the vaccines.

State health officials said the agency will contact providers who have received the recalled vaccine. The providers are being asked to discontinue use of the vaccine and to return any remaining vaccines to the manufacturer.