Why vaccines are running dry

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http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-07232006-687526.html Why vaccines are running dry By: JODI SPIEGEL ARTHUR (Sun, Jul/23/2006) Jill s is one of the lucky ones. The 18-year-old Abington resident's pediatrician was able to get her a dose of the Menactra vaccine to guard against potentially deadly strains of meningitis before she starts school at Ursinus College this fall. State law requires students living in dormitories to get a meningitis vaccination, but those who can't get it or choose not to get it can sign a form saying they have been informed about it and decided against it. A federal health agency also recommends it for teenagers entering high school. But a number of area doctors in

private practice don't have the vaccine. “We hyped the vaccine for over a year and then in the same breath had to tell people we couldn't give it,” said Dr. Rinaldi, a pediatrician who practices in Fountainville. “It's frustrating.” Rinaldi said he has a spiral-bound notebook with the names of 125 to 140 patients waiting for the inoculation. College freshman living in dorms and young people starting high school are at high risk for the disease, which has viral and bacterial forms and kills 10 percent to 15 percent of those who get it, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meningitis is an infection of spinal cord fluid and the fluid that surrounds the brain. Contagious forms of bacterial meningitis are spread through close contact, including sharing a drink or cigarette, kissing, coughing and living in close quarters. Vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur didn't allow Rinaldi to

order the quantities he wanted for the first nine months after the vaccine came on the market, he said. The problem has become even worse — for the past few months or more, he said he has not been able to get any doses at all. Dr. Shapiro, chairman of the pediatrics department at Abington Memorial Hospital, said Sanofi Pasteur greatly underestimated the demand for the vaccine. “There is a major shortage,” he said, adding that it isn't expected to end until 2008 when the manufacturer's new plant in Swiftwater, Monroe County, is up and running. Shapiro said his practice, which treats 9,000 children at offices in Rydal and Norristown, had been getting 20 doses a month, far less than it wanted, but does not have any right now. The last dose went to s on Friday. “Now the system is completely dry,” Shapiro said. “We can get not a dose.” Young people in high risk groups fortunately have some

other options, at least for now. The vaccines are available at university health centers for a fee and county health departments for free. “We're not in the same boat as private doctors,” said Kalyn , immunization coordinator and supervisor of public health nursing for the Montgomery County Health Department. Nevertheless, she said, she was told by the state Department of Health to follow guidelines set by the CDC when giving out the vaccine. The guidelines limit them to teens headed to high school, new college students moving into dorms and those who have pre-existing medical conditions or will be traveling to countries where the illness is prevalent. Janice Anastasi, immunization coordinator for the Bucks County Health Department, said Bucks clinics have a good supply of the vaccine and don't expect to turn away students entering high school or college. The department provides the vaccinations by

appointment, which can be made by calling its centers in Quakertown, Doylestown and Levittown. Montgomery County, with health centers in Willow Grove, Pottstown and Norristown, gives vaccinations without appointments, but patients must bring their immunization records. Arcadia University in Cheltenham is taking orders from incoming students — it has more than 100 so far — who want the vaccine when they arrive for school. The cost is $100. Delaware Valley College in New Britain, which charges $85, is doing the same. “I'm getting calls and we're starting a list of kids who haven't been able to acquire it at home,” said Judith Wood LeVien, director of student health services. “It looks like we're going to be giving a great deal more than we expected.” Thirty-six students are now on the list, but LeVien said she thinks the college will give as many as 100 shots to the resident freshman class of 500 if it can

get enough vaccine. The chance of contracting meningitis is low — only 2,600 people a year contract it in the United States, according to the CDC — but risk of getting it is higher for entering high school and college students, said Alice Gray, director of immunization programs for the state Department of Health. That group also has an increased risk of serious complications or death from the illness, she said. According to the CDC, 11 percent to 19 percent of survivors lose an arm or leg, become deaf or have other serious complications. Symptoms include high fever, headache and stiff neck. Sufferers may also have nausea, vomiting, discomfort looking into bright lights, confusion and sleepiness. Menactra was initially recommended for 11- and 12-year-olds in addition to students entering college and high school, but that changed when supply was unable to meet demand.Jodi Spiegel Arthur can be reached at

(215) 957-8148 or jarthur@....

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