Winnebago County: Only 73 of recalled vaccines given

ROCKFORD — Of the 2,000 H1N1 flu vaccine doses Winnebago County received — part of a national recall after tests indicated they may not be potent enough to protect against the virus — only 73 doses were administered. The remainder have been pulled.

Winnebago County Health Department Community Relations Manager Sue Fuller said the department distributed 1,500 doses to one of its providers, which used the 73 doses. None were administered at county clinics, she said.

Fuller also said she did not know whether any providers who do not receive their supply of vaccine through the Health Department got any of the recalled doses.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified doctors about the recall Tuesday. The recall involves about 800,000 doses made by Sanofi Pasteur in pre-filled syringes intended for young children.

Children of those ages, according to health officials, are supposed to get two doses, spaced about a month apart.

“The recommendation to parents of children who received the recalled vaccine is to just complete getting the second shot,” Fuller said. “It’s not a safety issue, it’s a potency issue.”

The recalled lots of vaccine passed potency tests when they were first shipped, but tests indicated the potency waned later.