Two Control Yuan members called for a probe into whether the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is at fault after a shortage of government-funded vaccines.
Control Yuan members Yin Tso-chien (尹祚芊) and Yang Mei-ling (楊美鈴) have applied to investigate whether the CDC took proper measures to deal with the shortage.
Media reports showed that the nation faces shortages of government-funded vaccines for chicken pox, measles, rabies and hepatitis B, the Control Yuan said, adding that if the shortages lead to delayed vaccinations, it could increase the spread of diseases.
Yin and Yang said the Control Yuan in 2015 investigated whether a shortage of government-funded vaccines for infants and adults was caused by factories being required to meet the Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention and Pharmaceutical Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S) and the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.
The CDC at the time said that vaccines bought from other countries met the PIC/S and GMP standards and were approved by the Food and Drug Administration, while six emergency-response measures were to be implemented in case of further shortages, the members said.
However, in addition to the recent reports, a professor surnamed Huang (黃) at the Pediatric Infection Division of National Taiwan University Hospital said there was a shortage of five-in-one (DTaP-Hib-IPV) vaccines for young children in 2014, causing the vaccination schedule to be delayed.
The five-in-one vaccine provides protection against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis), polio and Hib disease (Haemophilus influenza type B).
Yin and Yang asked whether the vaccine shortage would become a normal occurance if the CDC’s six emergency response measures are effective.
They asked whether the CDC keeps accurate information on vaccine supply situations.
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