Vaccines for US children may have been improperly stored

Free vaccines meant for children in the US may have been stored at the wrong temperature, which could make them less effective.

The report released on Wednesday by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in the Department of Health and Human Services also found that both expired and unexpired vaccines had been stored together in some doctors' offices and clinics, which could potentially lead to mistakes in giving the wrong version, according to Reuters.

Holly Williams, a program analyst in the OIG's office explained that while the OIG did find expired vaccines, that does not mean they know for sure if the vaccines were rendered ineffective. "We do know that vaccines exposed to temperatures that are too warm, too cold, or past the expiration date, may not provide maximum protection against disease," she said. 

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According to Reuters, the OIG visited 45 medical practices from the five areas that ordered the most vaccines in 2010 including sites in California, Florida, Georgia, New York City and Texas.

The inspectors reportedly found that 76 percent of the offices or clinics they visited had stored vaccines at the wrong temperature for at least five hours in a row during a two-week period. These improperly stored vaccines were worth nearly $370,000.

The free vaccines were part of a Center for Disease Control program that provides free vaccines to children whose parent's cannot afford them or have no health insurance. 

Reuters reported that The Vaccines for Children program spent $3.6 billion in 2010 to give 82 million vaccines to some 40 million children.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases told ABC that the CDC is vowing to make swift changed with more oversight.

"There have been changes in the equipment, the refrigerators, new cycling refrigerators. There are many vaccines recommended now and it may be that there are more doses being stored in the average office than there used to be," Schuchat said. 

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