Another 63,500 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine in Minnesota have been recalled by the manufacturer because tests found it was losing effectiveness, state officials reported Wednesday.
That is nearly seven times the number of weakened doses recalled in Minnesota last week.
In both cases, officials said, there is no danger to those who got the vaccine and they do not need to be revaccinated.
The latest recall involves shipments of FluMist, the nasal-spray vaccine that was distributed to 188 clinics and sites throughout Minnesota, said Buddy Ferguson, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Health.
Ferguson said the latest vaccine voluntary recall, by manufacturer MedImmune, affected 4.7 million doses nationwide; it is unclear how much of the vaccine was given to patients.
"It had lost potency, but not to the extent that it's necessary to revaccinate anybody who received it," he said. "But they didn't want to leave it in circulation."
Last week, Sanofi Pasteur recalled 800,000 weakened doses of its H1N1 flu vaccine, including 9,300 in Minnesota.
By next week, an estimated 2 million doses of H1N1 vaccine will have been ordered in Minnesota, Ferguson said.
The Health Department also announced that another Minnesotan has died of the H1N1 flu, bringing the statewide total to 51.
The latest victim was identified only as a person between the ages of 70 to 79 from Dakota County who had underlying medical problems and died Dec. 2.
However, the latest statistics show no flu outbreaks in schools or nursing homes in the week ending Dec. 19.
The outbreaks have dropped dramatically since the peak in late October.
Maura Lerner • 612-673-7384
