Vaccinations are part of life for young children. Almost every checkup usually involves a shot or two. But a new government report found some of the doctors offices may be mishandling thousands of vaccines.
A lot of vaccines have to be kept cold, or frozen, and there are strict regulations about storage temperatures and how long they can be used before they expire.
Inspectors with the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Investigator General checked more than 30 vaccine providers in five states and found most of them were not following these rules.
Nine-month-old Lilly is growing stronger by the day. Her mom believes every vaccine gives her daughter a better shot at staying healthy.
"It's very important to protect their health, in the past people don't have that," said Mai.
Like most parents, Lilly's mom never thought twice about how those vaccines are being stored. Her health clinic has a strict protocol.
"Every day we check them twice a day -- once in the morning, twice before we leave. We monitor the temperature," said Leigh Smith.
But not all clinics measure up.
A new report looked into the federal "Vaccines for Children" program, which provides free vaccines to kids across the U.S. The study found that the majority of clinics aren't keeping the vaccines at the right temperature. Others are storing expired vaccines.
"We want to make sure vaccines as a resource are handled appropriately," said Smith.
Immunization expert Kris Ehresmann says patients won't be hurt by the vaccines, but there are still concerns.
"This does not represent a safety issue, really what it is is making sure the vaccines we are providing are as effective as possible," Said Ehresmann.
But parents who need another dose of confidence might want to do some checking of their own.
"So parents can ask their provider are you storing…and handling vaccines appropriately? Are you checking temperatures? Those are things parents can ask for their own assurance," said Ehresmann.
Again, most vaccine experts agree that these storage problems should not pose a health risk to any children, but they could limit how long the vaccine will be effective.
If you have questions, talk to your child's pediatrician.
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A new government report found some of the doctors offices may be mishandling thousands of vaccines.
