Officials at Kadena Air Base in Japan said that childhood vaccines administered at a clinic over nearly three months might be “potentially ineffective,” with the news coming right as students on base are set to return to school.
The vaccinations were for measles, mumps and rubella, as well as varicella, a condition also known as chickenpox that is treated with the Varivax vaccine. The vaccines — part of the recommended schedule of vaccinations for children — were administered by the Kadena Immunization Clinic between May 3 and July 29.
“There are no assessed health risks associated with the administration of these vaccines,” the Kadena Medical Clinic said on Facebook. “In the coming days, the 18th Medical Group immunizations staff will reach out to impacted patients to advise on corrective actions.”
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First Lt. Robert Dabbs, a spokesman for the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base, told Military.com that the issue arose from improper storage of the vaccines.
“The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and varicella (chickenpox/Varivax) vaccines were temporarily stored at colder than recommended temperatures,” Dabbs said. “The 18th Wing is conducting a thorough investigation of this event to ensure the highest standards of safe, quality care for our community.”
Dabbs declined to quantify the total number of individuals who were given the potentially ineffective…
