Tetanus boosters stored in faulty fridge

Tetanus booster injections given out at Wellington Hospital over the last decade may have been ineffective because they were stored in a faulty refrigerator, Capital and Coast District Health Board says.

In a statement today, the DHB said it could not guarantee the refrigerator had always been within the right temperature rage over the past 10 years, which meant up to 16,000 tetanus booster injections might have been thermally damaged when given out.

Medicine, cancer and community executive director Andrew Simpson said the refrigerator had been replaced and all tetanus vaccines now administered were fully effective.

"We very much regret that this has occurred and apologise for any inconvenience," Dr Simpson said.

Patients who received a potentially ineffective tetanus vaccine were advised that there was no need to take immediate action as when tetanus did occur it was within a few weeks of injury. However, if they received another contaminated or dirty wound then they should seek medical attention by visiting a GP or Wellington Hospital's emergency department.

Dr Simpson said regardless of whether a person had received a tetanus injection for the hospital, people should ensure they were fully vaccinated,

"People at greatest risk of developing tetanus are those that have never been fully vaccinated in the past. Normally people who have received full childhood vaccines would need a tetanus booster at ages 11, 45 and 65."

Only two cases of tetanus have been reported in the Wellington region in the past 10 years -- neither of which were a result of an ineffective booster injection from the hospital.

- NZPA