By Lezlee E. Whiting
Deseret News correspondent

      ROOSEVELT — Fifteen-hundred children have been identified as potential candidates for re-vaccination following a determination that some vaccines received as long as four years ago may be ineffective.
      Last week, Uintah Basin Medical Center administrators announced that some vaccines administered in Roosevelt had been stored below recommended temperatures.
      The problem was found during a routine inspection of refrigerators used to store vaccines. The alert affects pediatric patients who were immunized in the offices of Dr. Amy McNelis, Dr. Teresa Stewart and Drs. Greg and Shannon Staker. Hospital records showed vaccines could have been compromised as far back as Jan. 1, 1998.
      Roosevelt pediatrician Greg Staker and Dr. George Develan with the State Department of Health are comparing immunization records supplied by the hospital, state and TriCounty Health Department to establish which children may need new vaccines. The joint review is necessary because some children may not have obtained all vaccinations at the pediatricians' offices.
      Vaccines affected include tetanus, pertussis, diphtheria, polio, HIB, pneumococcal and hepatitis A and B.
      Inoculations given at the TriCounty Health Department offices were not affected.
      TriCounty Health officials are helping correlate the names of children with the re-vaccinations they will need, said Joseph Shaffer, director of the TriCounty Health Department.
      Shaffer said there have been no vaccine-preventable diseases reported.
      The parents of children needing new vaccinations will be contacted by telephone. If that fails, a registered letter will be sent, said Roger Marett, Uintah Basin Medical Center assistant administrator of physician services.
      Residents who know of family or friends who have moved from the area with children who may be affected are urged to contact them and have them call the hospital.
      Marett said the problem has prompted calls from as far away as Las Vegas. He said the hospital realizes that finding all the affected children is not realistic. He said the hospital has received 40 calls and most callers have been understanding of the problem.
      "This won't be a small task, it will take some time, especially for those who need the (entire inoculation) series," Marett said.
      The hospital will cover the cost of re-vaccinations. Special clinics will be set up to handle the influx of patients needing to be re-immunized.
      No shots will be given to children affected by the recall at the hospital or at the TriCounty Health Department without a pediatrician's order.
      Marett said the hospital has replaced at least one refrigerator and will install all refrigerators with alarms that will be monitored 24 hours a day to prevent future problems.
      Refrigerators used by TriCounty Health Department have been monitored by computers for years, according to Shaffer.
      Linda Able, immunization program manager for the State Health Department, said the Health Department, through the federally funded Vaccine for Children Program, conducts site visits to offices that supply vaccinations as an educational campaign to make sure medical staff are abiding by the manufacturers' guidelines on immunization storage.
      The public is encouraged to phone the hospital at 435-722-6189 with any questions or individual concerns.

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