Vaccine shortage hasn’t hit county

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2002 | 10:55 a.m.

A shortage of children's vaccines across the nation has not affected Clark County, the local health district says.

The latest shortage is the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, produced by just one company, Merck. The pharmaceutical firm says the MMR vaccine is in short supply because of two voluntary interruptions in the production lines, according to a report Monday by Cable News Network.

"We are aware of an across-the-board shortage of childhood vaccines, but right now it has not hit us," Jennifer Sizemore, spokeswoman for the Clark County Health District, said.

"This is a new one on measles. For some time we've known about the shortage of DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough or pertussis vaccine)."

Other vaccines reportedly in short supply are Prevnar for meningitis and the chickenpox vaccine.

The National Network for Immunization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate the childhood vaccine shortage will continue for about six months.

By law, all children must be immunized before being allowed to attend school. The Clark County Health District provides free immunizations.

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