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Q. My kids missed some shots this past year because of the shortages. Can they get their shots now?
A. Fortunately, most of the vaccine shortages of the past few years have been eliminated. As of July 2003, all vaccines, even Prevnar, are back in good supply.
Many parents were confused and upset by the shortages of vaccines that are supposed to protect their children from common childhood infections. Since there has been a big push in recent years to promote getting kids fully vaccinated, many parents didn't understand why their weren't enough immunizations to go around.
Did the shortages put your child at risk? Probably not, thanks to the fact that parents and doctors have been aggressive in recent years in getting kids vaccinated. With few cases of these illnesses in the community, your child is less likely to get sick, even if he isn't vaccinated. If the shortages lasted longer though, this protection would have declined and we may have started seeing outbreaks of some of the vaccine preventable infections.
Why were there shortages in the first place? According to the CDC, 'reasons for these shortages are multi-factorial and include companies leaving the vaccine market, manufacturing or production problems, and insufficient stockpiles.' The push to remove thimerosal (mercury) from vaccines also may have contributed to the shortages.
The tetanus shot (Td) was one of the vaccines that was in short supply for the longest time, since the year 2000. This caused many teens to miss their tetanus booster, which is usually given when they are 11-12 years old. However, there is now enough of this vaccine so that routine immunizations can begin again and teens who missed their Td booster should be recalled by their doctor so that they can be brought up-to-date.
Other vaccines that have been in short supply include DTaP, HepB, Hib and Varivax (chickenpox). Although these vaccines should now be back in good supply and routine immunizations can begin again, there is not thought to be enough of a supply to recall all of the children who missed doses this year. If doctors begin recalling patients already for these vaccines, they will likely run out of their supply quickly.
Prevnar is no longer at 'critically low levels' as it was in 2002. This means that all kids can now resume the regular immunization recommendations for Prevnar and catch-up if they missed any doses.
What should you do if your child missed some shots because of the shortages? First, you should ask your doctor if they have a recall system or list that you can be added to so that they have an easy way to notify you when the shots are available. Otherwise just stay on top of the vaccine shortage news and schedule a visit when you read that the shots your child missed are available. As of July 2002, the tetanus booster was made readily available for teens who missed it.
If you aren't sure if your child missed any shots, call your Pediatrician during office hours to find out.
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