By Joy Pierce Mathews for Summit Medical Group

On December 15, 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that Sanofi Pasteur recalled approximately 800,000 pediatric H1N1 vaccine doses because of its low potency.

If you are an adult or pediatric patient of Summit Medical Group (SMG) who received an H1N1 vaccination, there is no cause for concern. Summit Medical Group did not receive this particular vaccine formulation at any time.

If your child received an H1N1 vaccination elsewhere and you are concerned that he or she might have received a weakened vaccine, there also is no cause for concern. The CDC is recommending that children who received the low-potency Sanofi Pasteur vaccination not be revaccinated. According to the CDC, the potency of the vaccine "is only slightly below the ‘specified’ range," meaning that the vaccine in these lots is expected to protect children against the H1N1 flu virus. There are no safety concerns with these lots of H1N1 vaccine.

The CDC notes, however, that “all children less than 10 years old should get the recommended 2 doses of H1N1 vaccine 28 days apart for the optimal immune response.”

To receive a first or second vaccine at SMG, your child must be an SMG patient who has visited an SMG physician within the last 2 years.

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