Plenty of HiB vaccine on Okinawa, Japan

Plenty of HiB vaccine on Okinawa, Japan
By David Allen and Geoff Ziezulewicz, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, January 31, 2009

Despite both an infant vaccine shortage and new reported cases of HiB bacteria infection stateside, military medical officials at most overseas bases said this week that they continue to have adequate supplies of vaccine to immunize the community’s babies against the potentially fatal illness.

The only facilities still facing a shortage are in South Korea, a Military Vaccine Agency official said Thursday.

Sharon Quigley, an analyst for the Military Vaccine Agency in Seoul, said only 140 doses of the HiB vaccine are available.

"I spoke to two mothers recently who said they could not get their child started on the series because there weren’t enough doses to go around," she said in a telephone interview. "Now, I don’t know if that’s because it’s the end of the month or what, but there is a shortage. It’s a definite problem in Korea."

No infections from HiB, or Haemophilus influenza type B, have been reported in overseas military medical communities since a 2007 recall left vaccine stocks in short supply, according to medical authorities.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60347