Senate HELP Public Health Subcommittee Examines GAO Report on Childhood Vaccination Shortage

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions public health subcommittee on Sept. 17 examined a report by the General Accounting Office that said a "majority of states" have reduced immunization requirements for school children because of a two-year national childhood vaccine shortage, the AP/Boston Globe reports (AP/Boston Globe, 9/18). The report, released Sept. 17, said that at least 30 states have loosened immunization requirements for children entering school, and more than 40 states have begun rationing vaccines, including those for measles, rubella and chickenpox. The report indicated that the shortages could be related to vaccine manufacturers' production problems, difficulty complying with federal standards, production stoppage, high demand for new vaccines and the need for vaccine reformulation (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 9/17). Subcommittee Chair Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said, "We are putting our children in danger. ... It is clear from this report that we have a system that cannot guarantee an adequate supply of vaccines from year to year and is unprepared to handle a potential outbreak of many routine childhood diseases." For example, Massachusetts is presently facing a "mild shortage" of pneumococcal disease vaccine because manufacturer Wyeth has not been able to keep up with national demand. Because of the shortage, state officials have urged medical facilities to postpone the last booster shot until Wyeth can replenish supplies. "We simply cannot allow decades of tremendous progress in reducing vaccine-preventable diseases to become undone," Reed said (Carter, AP/Boston Globe, 9/18).