March 25, 1963 - 7:30 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

84Meeti?of -Board of Commissioners for the County of JohnstonMarch 25, 1963The Board of County Commissioners of Johnston County met in special session onMarch 25, 1963, in the Commissioners Room of the Courthouse, at 730 P M, for thepurpose of arriving at a settlement with a representative of the Haver - Lockhart DrugICompany of Kansas City, Missouri for damages incurred by dog owners in the vaccinationof their dogs by contaminated anti - rabies serum, with the following members presentH M Johnson, Chairman, J D Bailey, Frank B Holding, Jesse H Austin, Jrand Norman C DenningAbsent NoneThe following business was transactedDr Robert D Phillips, local Health Officer, reported that to date about 300 to400 dogs had developed abscesses from the contaminated vaccine purchased from theEthical Veterinary Supply Company and manufactured by the Haver - Lockhart Drug Company,of Kansas City, MissouriOf this number it had been specifically determined that 235 dogs had been treatedby veterinarians in Johnston County, Wendell and DunnHe stated that the purpose of the meeting was to decide the liability and damagesand expenses incurred in the treatment of the dogs, which had been infectedDr Frank A ODonnell, representing the Haver - Lockhart Drug Company, gave anaccount of how the anti - rabies serum was made and the safety tests made to determineits potency and purity He recited the history of the contaminated vaccine serum553 and how they discovered that it was contaminated in Kansas City about five weeksago; and the effort that was made after the discovery to determine where it had beensent, only to discover its whereabouts after it was analized by the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture Following his account of the vaccine, there ensued aquestion and answer period and observation between the parties, which revealed thefollowing informationa That the insurance agent of the Haver - Lockhart Drug Company would contactthe County Attorney to lay the groundwork for determining the procedure to follow inreceiving claims for damages and expenses incurred by owners in the treatment of theirdogsb That it would be wise to discontinue the dog clinic for about two weeksc That it would be questionable if the Haver - Lockhart Drug; Company would re-place the contamined vaccine, as it was not their policy to supply vaccine to a countywhen it was administered by laymenHowever, Dr ODonnell made it clear that there would be no doubt about receivingcredit for the remaining contaminated vaccine on handd That the Commissioners considered the present program of dog vaccinationssuccessful, and that over a period of years it had been in force the vaccinations ofdogs in the County had greatly increased without ill result until the present time,which in no way could be attributed to the present programe That about a little over 50 of the dogs had been vaccinated, and that therewould be needed approximately 4500 doses of vaccine to complete the ,job, and it wasestimated that about 500 dogs would become infected and would have to be revaccinatedFollowing the discussion, Dr ODonnell requested that the contaminated vaccinebe returned to Ethical Veterinary Supply Company, and that he would contact his companyand determine if they would replace the vaccine if the county continued under itspresent program and would advise the Chairman in the A M of their decision, as he didnot care to make the decision himself as his company was morally bound to have theirproduct administered by a registered veterinarian Dr ODonnell also stated thathe would have the insurance attorney of the company contact the County Attorney atonceOn motion by J D Bailey, seconded by Frank B Holding and carried, it wasmoved that the meeting be adjourned