Meningitis C Vaccine

Contamination

About 60,000 doses of the meningitis C vaccine were recalled in February 2009 after a contamination scare. Tests found traces of the bug Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause blood poisoning. About 60,000 doses were recalled; a third of which had already been delivered to GP surgeries and health clinics. A spokesman for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the decision to recall the two batches was made just to be on the safe side, even though 'there is no reason for UK children to be at any risk'.

She added: 'The batches concerned were tested prior to release and complied with all tests, including the sterility test. The tested samples that failed the sterility test were part of a non-routine study undertaken by the company and were not part of the UK market product. This is an entirely precautionary action. There is no reason to believe the UK batches are at risk of the problems of the material that was tested. These batches have been withdrawn to ensure that there are no grounds for anyone to be concerned.'