Brussels, 22/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - The shortage of acellular vaccines against whooping cough was discussed at the meeting of the Health Security Committee in mid-April, reveal the minutes published on Thursday 21 April.
The shortage of whooping cough vaccines has, since the start of 2015, been affecting some eight member states - Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Romania, Spain and Sweden. The causes are reduced antigen production capacity, increased global demand for combined vaccines and batches of vaccines not meeting the requirements.
The committee endorsed the recommendations of a risk assessment produced by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) which concluded that “priority should be given to the preservation of the infant primary immunisation schedule and for those in contact with the most vulnerable”. The ECDC report also recommended the use of alternative vaccines, with appropriate monitoring of safety and effectiveness, rather than changing vaccination policies. The Commission highlighted possible measures to be taken to mitigate the impact of vaccine shortages, including regulatory clarifications, standard operating procedures to exchange medical countermeasures, work related to vaccine demand forecasting, development priority setting, and a review of the management of vaccine procurements. The discussion will continue at an ad hoc expert meeting to take place in May or June. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)