Report: Walgreens Gave Wrong Flu Vaccine to Children

Walgreens has given adult-strength flu vaccines to children in Roswell and possibly a larger number in the Atlanta metro area, according to news reports. 

Heidi Sullivan told Channel 2 News that her two children received a flu shot in December at the Walgreens on West Crossville Road in Roswell and that a representative from Walgreens called her to tell her about the mix-up.
 
“They stuck a needle in each of my kids’ arms and gave them a drug that they should be responsible for knowing how to use properly,” Sullivan told Channel 2’s Rachel Stockman.
 
She learned the flu shot her 13-year-old and 16-year-old received was Flucelvax, a drug only approved by the Food and Drug Administration for those 18 and older, WSB News reported. 
 
In a statement emailed to Channel 2 Action News, Jim Crohn, a spokesperson for Walgreens said:

“As part of the regular monitoring of our vaccine program, we recently learned that a very small percentage of vaccinations may have been administered to patients outside of FDA-approved age ranges. 
 
“As a precautionary measure, we have already contacted all affected patients, along with their physicians where such information was available, and also apologized for this occurrence.  We will continue to take proactive steps to help ensure the highest levels of quality care for our program.”
 

“How many other people are affected by this because Walgreens is a huge company?” Sullivan said.
 
Walgreens would not tell the station how many children or what stores in the metro Atlanta area were affected by this apparent mistake.
 
It is not clear what the side effects are for children because the approved FDA tests were done on adults.
 
The most common side effect for adults includes headache, discomfort and fatigue, the station reported.