Meningitic C vaccine recall
There has been a recall on the meningitis C vaccine in the UK due to fears of contamination. The vaccines are usually administered routinely to children. However, the government announced that none of the vaccines that have been given to children, nor the batch that was received in the UK, was contaminated. The Italian firm that made the vaccines had tested them and they were deemed safe for transport to the UK. However, later tests on two batches sent to other countries were found to be contaminated with the bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, the UK government decided to recall their lot as a precautionary measure. Understandably, the government does not want to appear as if they are slack in preventing unnecessary illness. However, does it not seem unwarranted that a vaccine has to be removed even if it has been deemed safe? If they personally tested each sample and found them uncontaminated, why can’t they use them, rather than waste them? Is it due to unnecessary concerns on the part of parents? Are parents more likely to reject a vaccination simply because others like it have been contaminated in other countries? We do not know how the samples were contaminated yet, so I suppose the government may be justified in withdrawing the vaccines until that question has been resolved. However, it shows that the government itself may have doubts about the safety of the drug and does not want to be responsible for any adverse consequences. In the meantime, I hope the supply of the vaccine is not so low that they have to hold off on immunising children at this time.
