Recall of H1N1 vaccines

As many of you are probably aware, the CDC and Sanofi announced a recall of 800,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine yesterday. This was a non-safety related recall of 4 lots of the vaccine that were manufactured as pre-filled syringes intended for ages 6-36 months. As it turns out, testing done by the manufacturer after release showed lower potency levels than necessary to induce an immune response. Our patients will be happy to learn that TLC received no vaccines from the four lots that were recalled, so no further concern is necessary at this point in time.

Toy Safety

With the holidays fast approaching, many parents will find themselves in search of that perfect toy. Each year, hundreds of thousands of toys are recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Comission (CPSC) because of excess levels of lead or other harmful metals. However, many toys sneak below the radar and avoid recall despite higher than recommended levels of heavy metals or other chemicals. With so many toys on the market, where is a parent to turn? Luckily, the Ecology Center, a public interest group, reviews hundreds of toys each year and makes their results available to the public. Definitely a good site to check before you head out to the toy store:

http://www.healthystuff.org/departments/toys/

Flu slowing down, for now at least

Good news from the CDC today. For the fourth week in a row, the number of cases of H1N1 ("swine") flu decreased nationwide. In our area, we have seen a downward trend over the last 2 weeks or so. Also, it appears the vaccine supply may increase in the near future, which is good news as supplies are already dwindling in our area. Experts are unsure if there will be another surge of the flu in the coming months, but if people continue to get vaccinated, it will further decrease the number of susceptible individuals.

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/12/01/swine-flu-waning-but-could-return.html