900 Ocean County Area Children May Need to Be Revaccinated Because Vaccine May Not Have Been Properly Refrigerated

vaccine shotApproximately 900 children who participated in a free or low-cost vaccine program in Ocean County may need to be revaccinated because the vaccine they received may not have been properly refrigerated.

The children participated in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, a federally funded, state operated program that provides 1.6 million free or low-cost vaccines to eligible low-income children at more than 1,000 medical offices around the state each year.

The Department of Health is mailing letters this week to impacted families whose children were vaccinated at Southern Ocean Pediatrics and Family Medicine in Manahawkin, which is the medical office of Dr. Michael Bleiman. The Department suspended shipment of VFC vaccine to Dr. Bleiman on July 28, 2016, when, during a routine compliance visit, problems with refrigeration temperatures were discovered.

Late this afternoon, the state filed a complaint with the State Board of Medical Examiners alleging gross negligence, professional misconduct and other violations by Dr. ‎Bleiman.

Vaccine that has not been properly refrigerated under the recommendation of the manufacturer may be less effective. Children who receive these vaccines might not be fully protected against vaccine-preventable diseases, according to the guidelines of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Receiving improperly-stored vaccines is not a danger to the health of the recipient, however, according to the CDC guidelines, exposure to temperatures outside the manufacturer’s recommended range can make vaccines less effective at preventing disease.

Parents may want to discuss revaccination with a health care provider. The vaccines the children received include measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, hepatitis A & B, rotavirus, DTaP/Tdap, Hib, pneumococcal, polio, meningococcal and HPV.

As part of an investigation, the VFC program determined that the temperature problems may have occurred as early as November 2014. The children who should be evaluated for revaccination were vaccinated between November 2014 and July 28, 2016.

As part of an ongoing investigation, the Department made referrals to and is working with the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners, the Medicaid Fraud Division in the Office of the State Comptroller; and the Medicaid program in the New Jersey Department of Human Services.

Families enrolled in Medicaid Managed Care Organizations should contact their health plan for assistance in providing an in-network provider. Parents or guardians of uninsured children can contact Federally Qualified Health Centers in the area, including the Center for Health Education, Medicine & Dentistry (CHEMED) in Lakewood and Ocean Health Initiatives in Lakewood. In addition, Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, which is part of Hackensack Meridian Health, will also be setting up a hotline to help families evaluate the need for revaccination.

This content, and any other content on TLS, may not be republished or reproduced without prior permission from TLS. Copying or reproducing our content is both against the law and against Halacha. To inquire about using our content, including videos or photos, email us at [email protected].

Stay up to date with our news alerts by following us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

**Click here to join over 20,000 receiving our Whatsapp Status updates!**

**Click here to join the official TLS WhatsApp Community!**

Got a news tip? Email us at [email protected], Text 415-857-2667, or WhatsApp 609-661-8668.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Yeah why not? Just revaccinated a bunch of kids. After all, if the first one didn’t work, maybe the second one won’t either. So we’ll just do it again. And again.

Comments are closed.