ATLANTA (AP) -- More than a million doses of a common vaccine given to babies as young as two months was being recalled Wednesday because of contamination risks, but the top U.S. health official said it was not a health threat.

The recall is for 1.2 million doses of the vaccine for Hib, which protects against meningitis, pneumonia and other serious infections, and a combination vaccine for Hib and hepatitis B. The vaccine is recommended for all children under 5 and is usually given in a three-shot series, starting at two months.

Drug maker Merck & Co., which announced the recall after testing showed a sterilization problem in a Pennsylvania factory, said concerned parents should contact their child's doctor.

"The potential for contamination of any individual vaccine is low," said Merck spokeswoman Kelly Dougherty.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, echoed that in a news conference.

"This is not a health threat in the short run, but it is an inconvenience," she said.

Dougherty could not immediately say whether the contamination seen at the factory involves a virus or bacteria. She said if someone were vaccinated with a contaminated shot, "There is a risk they could develop an infection." But she did not provide more details.

The recall is likely to heighten a debate over childhood vaccines and their safety and whether too many are required. Some parents are distrustful and suspect some vaccines of being linked to autism, although scientific studies have not shown such a connection.

This week New Jersey took a controversial step toward becoming the first state to require flu shots for preschoolers after a health advisory board backed new vaccine requirements over opposition from parents.

Merck (Charts, Fortune 500), based in Whitehouse Station, N.J., is one of the few drug makers that produces a significant number of vaccines.

While the company took a black eye with its September 2004 withdrawal of the painkiller Vioxx due to increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, Merck has been performing well recently. On Tuesday, it gave an upbeat assessment in its annual briefing for analysts.

Five weeks ago, Merck reached a deal to settle up to 50,000 Vioxx lawsuits for $4.85 billion, an amount expected to save the company millions in trial costs.

Its stock price has more than recovered from its post-Vioxx slump, a two-year-old restructuring plan is going well and profits are up. For example, Merck posted a 62 percent increase in its third-quarter profit as revenues jumped by double digits.

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Product-Safety Pacts Put
Greater Burden on Beijing

The Bush administration signed product-safety agreements with China that place a greater burden on Beijing to regulate exports of food, animal feed, drugs and medical devices.

The agreements require exporters of those products to register with the Chinese government, which will issue certificates stating they meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards. The agreements are aimed at closing some loopholes that let Chinese companies export unsafe food, drugs and other products.

Mike Leavitt, secretary of health and human services, signed the two agreements yesterday with Chinese officials in Beijing as part of three days of trade talks with China. "The agreements satisfy our firm principle that any country that desires to produce goods for American consumers must do so in accordance with American standards of quality and safety," he said in a statement.

The agreements cover such products as olives and canned mushrooms, pet food, raw materials for processed foods, farm-raised fish, drugs and medical devices. Drugs covered include: human-growth hormone; oseltamivir, an antiviral drug; and gentamicin sulfate, an antibiotic. The limited list of covered products is an initial step, U.S. officials said, suggesting Washington wants to gain confidence in the Chinese system before expanding the program.

The deals come amid political tensions over a rash of product-safety scares involving toothpaste, toys and pet food. Wu Yi, China's top trade envoy, said in opening remarks at the talks that "disharmonious notes" had entered the two nations' trade relations.

Officials from both countries will meet again today and tomorrow outside Beijing for the third round of Strategic Economic Dialogue, where U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Ms. Wu will discuss economic and financial matters.

China's global trade surplus hit $26.28 billion in November, the Chinese government announced yesterday. For the first 11 months of the year, its trade surplus jumped 53% from the same period a year ago, to $238.9 billion -- a large part of that coming from U.S.-bound exports. The Commerce Department has said the U.S. trade deficit with China is on track to surpass last year's record of $233 billion.

The safety agreements were among 14 pacts signed between the two countries, including one allowing groups of Chinese tourists to visit the U.S.

Feed and food exporters also must agree to annual inspections by the Chinese government, which is expected to share the results of those inspections with U.S. officials. Toys were covered in an earlier agreement.

Critics say the approach carries risks. "The Chinese government doesn't even know where most of these producers are and it's highly doubtful that the Chinese FDA could ever inspect them," says former FDA associate commissioner William Hubbard. "While the pact can be helpful, it cannot at this time in China's history solve the problem."

Some Democrats welcomed the agreements but said they didn't go far enough. While the deals improve the FDA's access to Chinese facilities, they don't guarantee access or specify how much latitude U.S. inspectors can have, said Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois. "It is important that once a tainted product is traced back to a production facility our inspectors be granted full unrestricted access and that we have a sufficient number of safety officials in place to deal with the problem."

The U.S. said both sides will form a panel to monitor the process. But the agreements rely heavily on enforcement by the Chinese since the FDA can refuse food shipments that have been mislabeled or adulterated -- not those lacking a certification from exporting governments.

The administration has proposed giving the FDA more authority and perhaps even opening an FDA inspection office in China, but what the agency would be able to do depends on its funding. The agreements require Chinese producers of certain products to register with the government before exporting to the U.S. -- reversing the current system, which forces authorities to hunt down errant or unlicensed factories.