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Meningitis Vaccine in Short Supply
Reported by JoAnne Purtan
Web produced by Kelly Reynolds
 

	There is a shortage of the meningitis vaccine Prevnar. Video

If you've had trouble getting your child the new bacterial meningitis vaccine, you're not alone. A new study from the University of Michigan says after two years, doctors and parents are still scrambling to get children the potentially life saving shots.

The vaccine is called Prevnar and the Journal of the American Medical Association study says three out of four doctors in 12 states face problems getting enough of it. That's serious, considering 15 percent of bacterial meningitis cases are fatal.

Six-and-a-half-month-old Ariel Smith is lucky. The Ann Arbor tot has already received both of her shots. That's not the case for many babies, though.

"As soon as the vaccine came out, there was already a shortage. We have never really been able to see what the full impact of this vaccine can be in preventing these life threatening diseases," said Dr. Gary Feed, U of M pediatrician.

Prevnar protects against bacterial meningitis and bacterial pneumonia. New research suggests it may also prevent some bacterial ear infections. It's been two years since Prevnar hit the market. High demand and production problems set up the shortage.

"Michigan has had some very significant shortages over the last couple of years. It was actually one of the first states to report shortages to the CDC back in 2001. Right now, there are many practices in this state, recently, who have run out of vaccine again," Dr. Feed said.

Study author Dr. Feed calls the supply system patch work, saying availability depends on where you live and if you have government or private insurance.

"Just because physicians maintain two separate stocks of vaccine within their practices, and Depending on which stock you're eligible for made a difference in whether or not you got the vaccine," said Dr. Feed.

To help as many children as possible, many doctors have been borrowing from one stock to cover the other.

The CDC recommends that your baby gets at least two shots of Prevnar, but they say four doses are actually best. The CDC suggests that you stay in touch with your pediatrician to find out when they have more of the vaccine. The shortage is expected to ease sometime this summer.
 

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