Maker Halts Shipments of Infant Vaccine
The maker of a vaccine to prevent childhood diarrhea temporarily suspended shipments of the drug Thursday after federal health officials warned that some infants had developed a type of bowel obstruction weeks after being vaccinated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the vaccine’s manufacturer, Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, urged that health care providers and parents stop using the oral rotavirus vaccine until November. At least 15 infants who received the vaccine developed intussusception, an obstruction in which the bowel folds in on itself.
New Jersey-based American Home Products, the lab’s parent company, said Thursday it had sent letters to doctors informing them of the CDC report.
All of the patients cited in the report have recovered, American Home Products said.
The CDC said parents or caregivers of children who had received the vaccine should notify their health care providers if an infant develops persistent vomiting, bloody or black stools, abdominal bloating or severe colic pain.
About 80% of children under 5 develop symptoms of rotavirus infection. About 55,000 infants and children are hospitalized and 20 to 40 die each year because of the disease, health officials said.
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