For Additional Headlines - go to our News Section »

• DCF Head Says Baby's Death "A Failure of the System"
  made by rebelrick9
• Education Encore at GCCC ... You are never too old to learn!
  made by gator
• Escaped Fugitive Captured After 12 Days of Fugitives
  made by rockinjoe
• Bay County Receives Statewide Award
  made by DARR
• Escaped Fugitive Captured After 12 Days of Fugitives
  made by rockinjoe

• Hancock Bank Assumes All Deposits of Peoples First Community Bank
• Five People Injured in Steam Accident At Gulf Power Plant
• FWC Searches for Missing Hunter on Apalachicola River
• Drive-By Shooting Investigation
• Authorities Release Identity of Man Found in Watson Bayou
• Two Pedestrians Killed in Separate Accidents
• Back Beach Accident Injures Two Drivers
• Escaped Fugitive Captured After 12 Days of Fugitives
• Hancock to Hire
• Thirty-Three People Arrested During Three-Day Sting Operation

H1N1 Vaccine Recall Affects Bay County
12/16/09 - 05:23 PM
 RSS Feed

Health departments across the nation plan to strip the shelves of thousands of swine flu vaccine doses. It’s in direct response to a recall, announced by the centers for disease control.

“The word ‘recall’ sounds bad but it’s just a term to say hey, let’s bring it back,” said Bay County Health Department’s, Bryan Russell.

According to the CDC it’s a non-safety related recall of specific lots of pediatric H1N1 injectible vaccine. Basically, it’s a preservative free dosage intended for children. The CDC reports these doses requested to be returned have a “potency slightly below the specified range.” That means they have a lower strength than expected.

“We received 400 of those doses,” said Russell.

14 recalled doses were given out at the Bay County Health Department, 250 were given to Tyndall Air Force Base. But it’s not just local. 40,000 doses were recalled statewide.

“There have been no deaths associated with the swine flu vaccine; there have been no major allergic reactions. So, the vaccine that was shipped that they’re recalling, it’s safe as far as that goes,” said Russell.

The CDC reports that the recalled dosage is “still effective” and that there is “no need to re-administer a dose to those who received the vaccine.”

“The vaccine is still safe, it’s just lost a little bit of its effectiveness,” said Russell.

Though Bay County will lose some of the H1N1 vaccine supply, health officials report that this area is still stocked up.

The Bay County Health Department plans to send the doses back just like they are required to do.

Aside from the affected vaccines, the county has given out more than 15,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine. The Department plans to give out free vaccines this Saturday from 9 to 3.