(LEAD) No. of people reporting abnormal reactions to mishandled vaccines reaches 12

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SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- The number of people who have reported abnormal reactions to potentially defective flu vaccines has reached 12, up four from the previous tally, health authorities said Friday.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said four more people complained of symptoms, including a fever, on Thursday. Their conditions are improving, the agency said.

The 12 people are among 2,290 people that have been injected with the vaccines that were not supposed to be administered after being exposed to room temperatures.

Of the total, three are under the age of 10, two in their teens, three in their 30s, three in their 50s and one 60-something.

"Those symptoms were mild, and their conditions have improved," a KDCA official said, referring to some of the people who said they had abnormal reactions to the vaccines.

"But the relation between the vaccine injection and the symptoms has not been proven yet."

Last month, the KDCA temporarily halted its plan to offer free seasonal flu shots after some of the about 5 million doses of flu vaccines were partially exposed to temperatures outside the storage range.

Inactivated vaccines should be stored in a refrigerator, and exposure to room temperature could result in decreased vaccine potency and increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases.

But the safety of those vaccines exposed to room temperature has yet to be determined.

brk@yna.co.kr
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