Alarming Reports of Out of Control Refrigerators Destroying Vacines.

Alarming Reports No. 2. - GPs have been warned over their vaccine storage systems after 813 patients at three practices in Aberdeen received damaged immunisations. NHS Grampian has launched an investigation after staff noticed vaccines were being stored in a defective fridge, at temperatures outside the range recommended by the manufacturers. Practice records showed 404 children and 409 adults were given the damaged vaccines between October 2004 and October this year. Dr Helen Howie, consultant in public health medicine at NHS Grampian, said: 'Vaccines may not have been consistently stored between the manufacturers' recommended temperatures of 2°C and 8°C. Therefore it is not possible to be certain that vaccinations administered at during that time will have provided full protection.' Experts called for closer scrutiny of what is a 'huge issue for general practice'. Dr Brian Crichton, a GP in Solihull who has conducted research on vaccine storage, said: 'We need to look at this as a serious issue. 'Efficacy can drop quite rapidly if medications or vaccines are left outside the recommended temperature range.' Affected patients have been offered booster vaccinations and all other vaccine storage fridges in Grampian practices are being examined for faults.

Another UK Health Authority (Forth Valley) admits that faulty refrigerators or non monitored refrigerators have caused them to recall 133 patients (all children) for fear that the vaccine administer may prove ineffective. They claim that the damaged vaccine will not have caused any harm, but would not give the protection it was meant to. There are now numerous UK health authorities furiously checking the quality of their refrigeration equipment.