By Mariel S. Clark
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Hundreds of thousands of children's doses of the swine flu vaccine have been recalled because they may not be potent enough to work.
The maker of the faulty vaccine, Sanofi Pasteur, recalled 800,000 pre-filled shots after tests indicated they had lost some strength and might not protect against the H1N1 virus.
The doses, intended for young children aged 6 months to 3 years, were distributed across the country in November and most have already been used, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There are no safety concerns with the recalled does, according to the CDC's Web site. The agency said children who got shots from recalled lots do not need to be revaccinated because "the vaccine potency is only slightly below the 'specified' range."
"We wanted to make sure that doses that weren't already given won't be," Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told the Los Angeles Times.
Manufacturers have released about 95 million doses since this season's H1N1 vaccine was made available in October.
