1000+ Sydney Patients Warned of Potentially Ineffective Vaccines After Critical Storage Error

More than 1,000 Sydney patients may have been at risk of serious diseases for the past five years due to a critical storage error that affected vaccines at a Dulwich Hill GP clinic. 

In a major health oversight, patients at the Holy Family Medical Centre in Dulwich Hill who received vaccinations between December 4, 2019, and July 30, 2024, were informed that their vaccines may have been stored at incorrect temperatures, potentially rendering them ineffective.

Approximately 1,208 patients, including 394 children under five, were affected, according to The Guardian.

A letter sent by the general practice (GP) to parents of vaccinated children stated that a review conducted with Sydney Local Health District revealed that some vaccines administered since December 2019 may not have been stored at the appropriate temperatures.

“Unfortunately, we can’t say exactly which, if any, vaccinations may have been affected,” the letter read, as reported by The Telegraph.

Implications of Receiving an Ineffective Vaccine

According to the letter, receiving an ineffective vaccine was not harmful but was “the equivalent of not being vaccinated”.

The letter explained that the equivalent of an unvaccinated status for many individuals over the past five years would lead to an increased risk of serious diseases such as polio, hepatitis, measles, whooping cough, and pneumonia, which continue to pose a threat to the community.

An expert panel was established by NSW Health, determining that the possibility of ineffective vaccines needed to be addressed.

Due to the inability to identify the affected vaccines, the panel recommended that all patients who received vaccines at the practice between December 4, 2019, and July of this year be revaccinated.

A spokesman emphasised that revaccination would pose no harm, even if the initial immunisation was effective, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald. 

The Sydney Local Health District is assisting the practice in establishing a revaccination clinic in the coming weeks to provide free vaccines for affected patients, prioritising those under five and adults over 65.

NSW Health Guidelines for Safe Storage of Vaccines

NSW Health guidelines for vaccine storage indicate that vaccines must be stored in a purpose-built vaccine refrigerator (PBVR) and stored in their original packaging to protect them from light and temperature fluctuations. Vaccines must also be stored between +2°C and +8°C, with the optimal storage temperature for vaccines at +5°C. 

Additionally, NSW Health guidelines state that immunisation providers must verify vaccine expiry dates to ensure that effective vaccines are administered. 

According to the state health department’s Cold Chain Toolkit for Immunisation Providers, the “inadvertent administration of expired vaccines may necessitate the recall and revaccination of affected patients”.

To prevent this, providers should check expiry dates before administration, regularly review their stock, and prioritise the use of vaccines with the shortest expiry dates.

If an expired government-funded vaccine is mistakenly given, immunisation providers are required to contact the local public health unit at 1300 066 055 for guidance, providing de-identified patient details. 

For expired private vaccines, providers are required to consult the manufacturer for advice.

The Holy Family Medical Centre is a private practice not affiliated with NSW Health. However, the Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit and the Central & Eastern Primary Health Network are offering assistance while patients of the clinic receive their updated vaccinations.

Patients who visited the Dulwich Hill medical centre between December 2019 and July 2024 are urged to receive their revaccinations when the clinic opens at the centre next Saturday, October 19.