A once-scarce vaccine that protects against a range of infections including meningitis is back in supply and small children should get four doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
There have been on- and off-again shortages of Prevnar, but the maker, Wyeth, has returned to full production, the CDC and other health groups said.
That means small children can return to the recommended four-dose schedule, the Atlanta-based CDC said.
“The manufacturer has assured CDC that PCV7 (Prevnar) supplies are now adequate and health-care providers should return to the full schedule,” Dr. Steve Cochi, acting director of the CDC’s National Immunization Program, said in a statement.
Earlier this year, the shortage was so acute that CDC and other vaccine advisers recommended cutting back to two doses per child from the full schedule of four. They wanted to make sure there was enough vaccine available to get at least the first crucial doses to each child.
But studies show that it takes four doses over about two years to fully protect children. In July the dose schedule was stepped up to three.
Catch-up recommended
Prevnar protects against seven strains of Streptococcus pneumonia bacteria. It is recommended that the vaccine be given to children in four doses, at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months and 12 to 15 months of age.
The health groups also recommended a catch-up schedule for children who missed vaccinations during the shortage --especially high-risk children such as those with sickle cell disease, the AIDS virus or other chronic illnesses.
Wyeth has never said precisely why it was having trouble making enough vaccine to meet demand, saying only that quality control issues were involved. The Madison, New Jersey-based company said in July it had completed plant upgrades and added capacity.
Before a vaccine was available, pneumococcal infections caused more than 700 cases of meningitis, 13,000 blood infections and about 5 million ear infections every year, the CDC said.
Several studies have suggested that widespread immunization against pneumococcal disease has reduced its spread greatly not only among children, but among adults as well.
But Wyeth is seeking permission to market the vaccine to adults too.
