Fw: [MercuryFreeland] FW: [ACHAMP] Re: ABC Good Morning America .. Are Doctors Improperly Storing Vaccines

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[ACHAMP] Re: ABC Good Morning America .. " Are Doctors Improperly

Storing Vaccines

The following was reported on Good Morning

America

http://tinyurl.com/7avdxhx

Raising the obvious questions regarding

the " risks " associated with administering " expired " or vaccines stored at

" wrong

temperatures " . Who is ultimately responsible for guaranteeing both errors

do not occur? What studies provide the evidence that allows " experts " to

know for certain there are " no extra risks " if a child receives an

improperly

stored vaccine or expired vaccine?

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Are Doctors Improperly Storing

Vaccines?By KIM

CAROLLO | Good Morning

America - 16 hours

ago

As many moms do, Dilensky of Washington, D.C., takes her

one-year-old daughter to the doctor for her recommended vaccinations.

" It's protective and preventative in my mind and anything I can do to keep

her as safe and healthy as possible, " Dilensky said.

But a new government report obtained exclusively by ABC News has

her a bit worried about the efficacy of the immunizations her daughter is

getting.

An investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of

the Inspector General (HHS OIG) found that many providers of immunizations

meant

for low-income children don't store the vaccines at proper temperatures,

potentially rendering them ineffective

and placing children at risk for contracting serious diseases.

" I'd be very furious if that happened to me, " said Dilensky. " I would be

furious if my doctors were not storing them properly and so her vaccines

were

not effective. "

Inspectors visited the offices of 45 providers in five states who offered

free immunizations as part of the government's Vaccines for Children (VFC)

Program. Nationwide, about 44,000 offices and clinics participate in the

program. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services pay for the vaccines,

and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention distribute them.

The investigation found that 76 percent of the providers stored the

vaccines at temperatures that were either too hot or too cold. They also

found

that 13 providers stored expired vaccines along with nonexpired vaccines. In

addition, they said they found that none of the providers properly managed

the

vaccines according to VFC program requirements.

" As a result, the 20,252 VFC vaccine doses that we observed during site

visits may not provide children with maximum protection against preventable

diseases and may be vulnerable to fraud, waste and abuse, " according to the

report. " These doses were worth approximately $800,000. "

The storage problem could potentially lead to less effective vaccines, but

doesn't pose a safety risk, the HHS OIG said.

In 2010, about 40 million children received 82 million VFC vaccines at a

cost

of approximately $3.6 billion, and providers must meet certain requirements

for

storage and management.

While the report is concerned with vaccines offered under the VFC program,

doctors say the government's investigation is an important reminder to all

clinicians about the need to properly and carefully store all vaccines.

" We have vaccines delivered probably every week, and vaccines come in these

large Styrofoam containers, and that is to keep them cold or frozen

depending on

the particular vaccine, " said Dr. Promise Ahlstrom, who is Delinsky's

daughter's

pediatrician. She is not involved in the VFC program.

" The temperature has to be monitored throughout the entire time, from the

time it leaves the manufacturer to the time it spends in transit to the time

it's delivered to the clinic and it's used in the clinic, " said Dr.

Schaffner, chair of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical

Center.

" We want every dose given to every child to provide the optimum protection

as

it's intended, " he said.

In its report, the Inspector General's Office recommends that CDC take steps

to ensure that providers who participate in the VFC program do their jobs.

" We want them to work with the grantees and providers to make sure that

they're storing vaccines properly, then put in better inventory control

mechanisms so there's less inventory on hand so that creates less chances

that

vaccines can expire, " said Dwayne Grant, the regional inspector general for

the

Office of Inspector General in Atlanta.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of CDC's National Center for Immunization for

Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told ABC News the vaccination program

has

helped protect many children from preventable diseases, but acknowledged

there

was a breakdown in the vaccine management process.

" We're doing our root cause analysis right now to try and understand the key

factors that lead up to these issues, " she said. " There have been changes in

the

equipment, the refrigerators. There are many vaccines recommended now, and

maybe

there are more doses being stored in the average office than there used to

be. "

The CDC says disease rates haven't gone up because of vaccines affected by

temperature problems, but they are investigating a rare whooping outbreak in

the

state of Washington.

What Can Parents Do?

Schuchat stressed that parents should still

get their children immunized.

" I don't think this is a time for parents

to ask their doctors, 'Where are the vaccines stored and can I go look at

them?'

I think this is a time for parents to remember that vaccines are very

important

and that keeping your children and yourselves up to date on vaccines is one

of

the best things you can do for your health, " she said.

Ahlstrom, the Washington, D.C.

pediatrician, also said parents shouldn't worry too much about it, but said

if

they are worried, they should ask questions.

" I think that it is probably good for them

to address it with their doctors so that they can feel that their mind, that

their mind is put at rest, " Ahlstrom said.

And as a mother, Dilensky said vaccine

safety is something would definitely address if she had any doubts.

" I think it would be a mistake not to

check, to ask the questions and to make sure your doctor is taking those

precautions. And I mean the onus is on us as the parents to make sure our

child

is getting what they need. "

ABC

News' Jim Avila, Hartman and Serena Marshall contributed to this

report.