Over 100 People Injured in Vaccine Infection Outbreak
Dozens of lawsuits have been filed after a bad batch of vaccines infected more than 100 people in Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio.
Health officials said Fairshinda Sabounchi McLaughlin operated a traveling vaccination business under the medical license of her husband, Dr. Paul E. McLaughlin.
She would travel around Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and nearby states to vaccinate workers at various companies against diseases such as the flu, hepatitis A, pneumonia, and tetanus.
Mrs. McLaughlin and at least two other untrained employees would administer the vaccines. Unfortunately, mishandling of the vaccines resulted in contamination.
Erin Blau, an epidemiologist with the CDC who is assigned to the Kentucky Department for Public Health, said:
“This was severe redness, tenderness, pain, development of a nodule and (some of) these individuals were experiencing like an abscess-like reaction.”
At least 25 people tested positive for infections with Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterium (NTM), a slow-growing bacteria that is difficult to treat.
Health officials discovered questionable hand-washing practices, inadequate temperature monitoring, and vaccines reportedly being drawn up long before they were administered to a patient. Vaccines should only be drawn up immediately before administration.
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