The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) and the Ocean County Health Department (OCHD) are advising parents and caregivers of children who have received vaccinations from Dr. Jose Romillo, a Toms River pediatrician, to have their children revaccinated as soon as possible.

Consistent with each department’s authority as healthcare oversight agency, the OCHD and NJ DHSS have completed a thorough examination of Dr. Romillo’s records to review vaccination practices and medical waste disposal.

This examination included review and abstraction of nearly 1,100 individual patient charts.  Based on this activity, NJDHSS and OCHD have concluded that many children in the practice received expired vaccines and, as a result, are considered to be inadequately immunized. 

Because of incomplete and illegible medical records, DHSS and OCHD have been unable to determine what portion of Dr. Romillo’s patients has been improperly vaccinated. As a result, it is recommended that all of Dr. Romillo’s patients who have received at least one vaccination since 1999 be re-vaccinated as soon as possible. Children under Dr. Romillo’s care have been directed to other area family practitioners.

The DHSS has worked with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop guidance for a revaccination schedule for patients. This guidance is based on several sources, including the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices guidelines for regular pediatric vaccination, adult vaccination and pediatric catch-up vaccination. It also takes in to account minimum and maximum patient age requirements in compliance with FDA-approved vaccines.

This guidance has been shared with practitioners statewide, many of whom may be seeing Dr. Romillo’s former patients.

In addition, the DHSS has established an information line for healthcare providers with questions. Healthcare providers who need assistance with the guidance should call the Department’s Communicable Disease Service at 609-588-7500.

Also, the Ocean County Health Department has established an information line for parents and caregivers at 732-341-9700, extension 7604.