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Flu vaccines go missing at Maine hospital

Healthcare Security Weekly, November 1, 2004

Maine Medical Center officials reported 100 missing doses of the flu vaccine last week to police, the Portland Press Herald reported.

Officials couldn't locate 10 refrigerated vials containing the doses, which may have been taken from the area, police said.

"We are treating [the vaccine] as missing," Martha Davoli, spokeswoman for Maine Medical Center, told the Herald. "What we believe has happened is that they're unaccounted for and we will continue investigating until we locate them or account for them."

Police haven't placed a value on the missing doses, although vaccines are normally sold at $15 to $20 a dose.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned hospitals to secure their vaccine supplies. Over the last few weeks, thieves made off with more than 100 doses from a homeless clinic in Baltimore, and 620 doses from a Colorado pediatrician's office. The flu vaccine is in high demand due to a recent shortage in dose.

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