If you participate in the state’s Vaccine for Children (VFC) program, watch the expiration dates on your vaccines.
The Indiana Immunization Division will monitor wasted doses of publicly funded vaccines due to expiration, wastage or improper storage and handling. In January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began requiring states to keep vaccine waste under 5 percent of the total vaccine budget.
According to the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), 90 percent of vaccine loss in Indiana is due to expired doses, mostly because of over-ordering or poor inventory management.
Health officials urge you to do a monthly inventory of all vaccines and make a list of any vaccine that will expire within 90 days.
If you cannot use VFC vaccine before the expiration date, contact the Immunization Division or a field representative. If you have expired doses, the ISDH recommends you return them to McKesson, which requires a proper return label and the ISDH return form. To request a return label, call the ISDH’s Jill King at (800) 701-0704.
VFC is a federally funded program that supplies free vaccines to eligible children under age 18, including those on Medicaid or without health insurance, or Native Americans or Alaskan natives.
Learn how to become a VFC provider here.