Close to 300 patients who received a tetanus vaccine recently at the Leduc Community Hospital are being encouraged to go back for another shot because the first one may have been ineffective, Alberta Health Services said Friday.
A routine audit conducted May 7 found the temperature of the vaccine fridge in the hospital emergency’s department was not being recorded properly.
The 298 patients affected were being treated for possible tetanus prone wounds, AHS said. To update their immunizations, they were given the “dTap vaccine” that protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.
“Although the risk of tetanus infection is very low, AHS is notifying the patients related to this monitoring error and recommends that those individuals get re-immunized,” the health authority said in a news release. “AHS regrets that this issue has resulted in an impact to our patients and we have ensured that proper monitoring is now in place.”
AHS said it will be contacting each of the patients affected. There is no risk in getting another vaccination, and no risk to the general public, AHS said.
This is the second time this year AHS has experienced issues with refrigerated vaccines. In January, 131 patients who received a tetanus vaccine at the WestView Health Centre in Stony Plain were forced to revaccinate after the temperature of the vaccine fridge in the hospital emergency’s department was not being recorded properly.
