More than 1,200 patients at a general practice in Sydney’s inner west – including hundreds of children receiving their first vaccinations under the age of five – have been warned any vaccines they received over a four-and-a-half-year period may have been less effective due to a storage error.
The Holy Family Medical Centre in Dulwich Hill is notifying patients and parents of those who received a vaccine between 4 December 2019 and 30 July 2024 that their protection could have been compromised as the vaccines were incorrectly stored at the practice.
Guardian Australia understands 1,208 patients were affected, including 394 children under five.
A letter from the practice to a parent whose child received a vaccine during this period seen by Guardian Australia states that “recently we worked with Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit to review how we handle and store vaccines. This review showed that some vaccines given since December 2019 may not have been stored at the right temperatures”.
The letter goes on, “while the vaccines will not cause any harm, they may not have worked as well in preventing diseases because storage temperatures may have been outside of the acceptable range. Unfortunately we can’t say exactly which, if any, vaccinations may have been affected,” the letter continued.
The letter also included answers to “questions regarding vaccination” which states “some parts of the vaccine management didn’t follow the National Vaccination Storage Guidelines. This means that some vaccines given during this time may not have worked effectively.”
In answer to the question of why revaccination is necessary, the answer states “receiving an ineffective vaccine is equivalent to not being vaccinated”.
“This means that you remain vulnerable to serious diseases like polio, hepatitis, measles, whooping cough and pneumonia that remain threats to our community.”
The patients, including a number of children who were aged under five years at the time of their first vaccination, are recommended to be revaccinated to ensure they are protected, a spokesperson from Sydney Local Health District said.
Children aged up to four years receive a series of free vaccinations under the childhood immunisation schedule in order to protect them against serious diseases including measles, whooping cough, polio, meningococcal and hepatitis.
Repeating a vaccination will not cause any harm, even if the first vaccine was effective, the spokesperson said.
Revaccination will be offered at no cost to the patient, with a dedicated clinic with extra staff from the local public health network to be held at the GP practice from 19 October to help get through the “massive” demand they are expecting, the spokesperson said.
The Holy Family Medical Centre is a private practice which NSW Health is not affiliated with but the Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit and the Central & Eastern Primary Health Network is providing assistance in a support capacity.
