Amid a growing national debate over the safety of childhood vaccines and whether too many are required, Merck & Co. is recalling about a million doses of the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine because of contamination risks, reports the Associated Press.

Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration were quick to stress there is no immediate health threat to children, who are as young as two months old when they receive their first shot. The Hib recall, they said, is a precautionary measure.

We probably should have seen this coming.

A month ago, Merck notified the CDC this same vaccine, called PedvaxHIB, "was unavailable for shipment and would become available again sometime in the first quarter of 2008; the exact timing will depend on resolution of a manufacturing issue," according to a news item on the American Academy of Family Physicians Web site.

Merck has said it did not find contamination in the vaccine itself, which is fortunate because federal health officials said they have no idea how many of the one million doses of recalled vaccine have already been given to children.

If you've just given your child a Hib shot that later proves to be contaminated, health officials said they expect children might experience nothing more than skin irritation around the vaccination site within a week of getting the jab. Those who are immune compromised might have more serious effects.

Hib prevents meningitis and pneumonia. It is a three-dose shot recommended for all children under 5 and is usually given to infants starting at 2 months old.

The recall involves 10 lots of Hib vaccine and two lots of a combination vaccine for both Hib and hepatitis B.

When it's ready, you can get a transcript of the teleconference.

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