This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/health/7911733.stm

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Vaccine pulled over bacteria fear Vaccine pulled over bacteria fear
(about 2 hours later)
Thousands doses of the meningitis C vaccine have been withdrawn by the manufacturer Novartis as a precaution following fears of contamination. Thousands of doses of the meningitis C vaccine have been withdrawn by the manufacturer Novartis following fears of contamination.
It is understood that the move was taken after samples from two batches were found to contain a bacterium.It is understood that the move was taken after samples from two batches were found to contain a bacterium.
The government's medicines agency said there had been no reports of adverse reactions and it did not believe children in the UK were at risk. The government's medicines agency said contaminated vaccine had not been distributed to the UK and the move was "entirely precautionary".
And there is "no reason" for UK children to be at any risk, it added.
Novartis said it was "committed to being a safe and reliable provider".Novartis said it was "committed to being a safe and reliable provider".
The firm said said it had been alerted to a sterility issue in the solvent for its Menjugate Kit, which is manufactured in Italy and has only been available in the UK since January 2009.
Factory tests
Some 21,000 doses in total have been removed from the shelves.Some 21,000 doses in total have been removed from the shelves.
The batches found to contain the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus had been transported by air. The recalled batches of the Menjugate Kit, which were manufactured in Italy, had passed safety checks before leaving the factory to be transported by road to the UK.
The rest of the batches, transported by road, had passed all the factory tests. But a small number of samples transported to another country by air, were later found to be contaminated with staphylococcus aureus bacteria.
Immunisation
The meningitis C vaccine is one of the routine immunisations in childhood, with the first doses normally given when a child is 3 and 4 months old.
A spokeswoman for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said: "The tested samples that failed the sterility test were part of a non-routine study undertaken by the company and were not part of the UK market product."A spokeswoman for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said: "The tested samples that failed the sterility test were part of a non-routine study undertaken by the company and were not part of the UK market product."
Dr Ged Lee, from the MHRA, stressed that the move was a precautionary one and that none of the samples that had come to the UK had been contaminated.Dr Ged Lee, from the MHRA, stressed that the move was a precautionary one and that none of the samples that had come to the UK had been contaminated.
He said: "The batch that was contaminated I can reassure you was not distributed into the UK and I can also reassure parents that the product that has been used in the UK has passed all the necessary quality standards and is perfectly safe."He said: "The batch that was contaminated I can reassure you was not distributed into the UK and I can also reassure parents that the product that has been used in the UK has passed all the necessary quality standards and is perfectly safe."
The Department of Health said in a statement that the move was a "precautionary measure", adding that anyone who was concerned after taking the vaccine should contact their GP or NHS Direct. The Department of Health reiterated that the recall was a precautionary measure and added that anyone who was concerned after taking the vaccine should contact their GP or NHS Direct.