3 Month old Girl Dead after DPT Vaccine
A 3-month-old baby girl suddenly died on Wednesday after being injected with a DPT vaccine (refers to a class of combo vaccine against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus) and taking liquid- form polio vaccine at the Shangfeng Community Medical Center, located in Jiangning District, Nanjing. The case is still under investigation.
An expert at the Nanjing Center for Disease Control said that over 3 billion people in Nanjing have being injected with liquid-form polio vaccines since 1992, and the death rate due to counter reactions is of 0.
A doctor of the Shangfeng Community Service Center, who was part of the baby’s rescue work stated that plenty of stomach content was found during endotracheal Intubation, most of it being milk.
The vice director of the center, surnamed Tao, indicated that the case had been reported to the superior department; and the Health Bureau and Disease Control Center of Jiangning District dispatched a group to investigate into the case whose results have yet to be released.
Source: Global Times, 16th September 2010.
Newborn Dies after BCG Vaccine
Following the death of a newborn baby, the relatives created a ruckus at the district women’s hospital of Ghazipur district on Thursday. According to reports, Ritu Pandey, wife of Jaishankar Pandey who resides in Rehuna village in Jamania area, gave birth to a baby at the district women’s hospital on Tuesday.
The attendants alleged that following the administration of BCG vaccine at the hospital, the condition of the baby started deteriorating on Wednesday.
The baby died on Thursday morning due to the carelessness of doctors, they alleged.
On the other hand, the chief medical officer (CMO) of Ghazipur, Dr Pradeep Kumar Singh, told TOI over phone that it was wrong to say that the baby died after the BCG immunisation.
He said that the baby was doing well till Wednesday evening. The paediatrician at the hospital conducted a proper check up of the newborn.
The CMO said that the baby suffered from fever on Wednesday night but the attendants did not report it to the doctors, and the baby was found dead on Thursday morning.
According to the CMO, in view of public resentment, a three-member committee headed by senior paediatrician Dr A P Yadav has been constituted to look into the matter.
The committee would submit its report in three days, said the CMO, adding that appropriate action would be taken on the basis of the report.
Source: Times of India, 16th September 2010.
More News on the Vaccine Deaths
Death of infants in Ghaziabad and that of a newborn in Ghazipur district kept the health department officials on their toes on Thursday. All three deaths were linked with vaccination. While a newborn died within 24 hours of receiving BCG shot in Ghazipur, twin-sisters died in Ghaziabad after getting measles vaccines at a private nursing home.
Director general, medical health, Dr SP Ram maintains that health department is answerable in connection with the incident in Ghazipur. In this regard, he said, “prima facie it does not appear to be a case of adverse event following vaccination. Still, I have asked the chief medical officer of the district to submit a report in this regard.” About the mishap in Ghaziabad, he said, “this did not happen in a government health sector so what can I say about it.”
In Ghazipur, a couple from Rehuna village of Jamunia area lost their newborn son within 24 hours of receiving polio drops and BCG vaccine. Finding their child dead on Thursday morning parents associated the death with vaccines. Infuriated over this, relatives of the couple created a ruckus in the government hospital. They were, however, not ready for the post-mortem examination of the newborn.
As per reports, the child was born healthy through a normal delivery on Tuesday afternoon. Was administered the polio drops on Wednesday morning and was fine. He was given a BCG shot in the afternoon following which he developed mild fever like most children. He was seen by the paediatrician in the evening who said that he was fine.
Baby’s mother Renu Pandey got anxious realising that the baby was not taking the milk. Initially she thought that the boy was sleeping and made attempts to wake him up. Seeing no change, they took him to the doctor who declared the boy dead.
CMO, Ghazipur, Dr PK Singh, however, believes that the exact cause of the death may not be ascertained. “He was healthy and there seems to be nothing wrong with the vaccine. Infection could have caused the death but that could have been established if the parents allowed us to undertake post-mortem examination,” he said.
On the possibility of something being wrong with the vaccines, Dr Singh said that there were two more children who got the BCG shots from the same vial. “The same batch is being used to immunise at least 20-25 children every day. There is no adverse event so we cannot blame the vaccine,” he said.
In Ghaziabad, nine-month-old sisters Avika and Anika died at died reportedly within an hour of receiving measles vaccine shots at Divya nursing home of Shastrinagar area on Wednesday night. Seeing both the girls dying without any ailment, parents and attendants lost their cool and targeted the nursing home.
Later they also lodged an FIR against the nursing home with Kavinagar police station alleging that the children died due to negligence on the part of the staff. “When they saw that Avika’s condition deteriorated within a few minutes of receiving the vaccine shot why did they administer the same to my other daughter?” questioned the father Sunil Sharma.
He also claimed that the nursing home staff tried to snatch away the immunisation card from him and raised doubts that if nothing was wrong what prompted them to behave like this. On their part, owner of the nursing home, Dr Satyaveer Singh, however, rubbished the charges of negligence. He pinned the blame on the vaccine instead.
When contacted, CMO, Ghaziabad Dr AK Dhawan claimed that he had gone to the spot after hearing about the incident. But when he reached there, he found that representatives from the Union health ministry and drug controller of India was already there. “The team collected samples of the vial from the same batch and seized the empty vial which was used for the girls besides the disposables. It is learnt that the samples have been sent to Central Research Institute, Kasauli for testing,” he said.
Source: The Times of India, 17th September 2010.
Jayden Lynch Dead After Vaccine Related Seizure Disorder
A CHILDCARE worker broke down yesterday as she told an inquest that she considered as part of her family a three-year-old boy who died after being in her care.
Kerrie Pemberton was giving evidence at the coronial inquest into the death of Jayden Lynch at her Yamba home on December 15, 2008.
Mrs Pemberton told the inquest, being heard in Grafton Local Court, that she had put Jayden – who suffered from seizures – down to sleep with three other children about 1pm.
The court heard she and her husband Jeff had checked on the children between 1pm and 3pm from the room’s doorway or through the window. She said she went to wake the children after 3pm but Jayden did not get up.
Mrs Pemberton told the inquest that she asked her husband to telephone Jayden’s mother Cyndi Lynch.
She then realised Jayden was not breathing and telephoned triple-0 while she began CPR. The inquest heard the ambulance arrived at 3.24pm. Jayden was later declared dead at Maclean Hospital on the North Coast.
In his opening address Paul Guterres, counsel assisting Deputy State Coroner Scott Mitchell, told the inquest Jayden had his first seizure on June 8, 2006.
He said that on the morning of his death, the child had told his father he was unwell.
Jayden’s father Ty Lynch also cried as he spoke of the child who was “worth waiting for” after five attempts of IVF.
“It was the best three years of our life and these last two have been the worst,” Mr Lynch said.
He said there was too much emphasis that his son had died because of a seizure.
“Yes, he developed a seizure after an immunisation but he wasn’t sick by any means,” he told the court.
At the end of her evidence, Mrs Pemberton said the death had devastated her family.
“He was part of the family. He was a happy intelligent boy who made me laugh. I think of Jayden and his parents every day,” she said.
Since his death she told the court she had established a sleeping check list.
Detective Senior-Constable Grahame Burke, the officer in charge of the investigation into the boy’s death, told the inquest there had never been sufficient evidence for criminal charges. The inquest will continue today.
Source: The Daily Telegraph, 16th September 2010.
Twin Sister Deaths: Doctor Goes on the Run and is Still Missing
The police are yet to arrest the doctor who had gone absconding following the deaths of nine-month-old twin sisters in Ghaziabad. The twin sisters, Avika and Anika, died on September 15 night, allegedly after the doctor at a private nursing home gave them a measles vaccine.
The samples of vials of vaccines have been handed over to the health department officials for further testing.
According to Sharad Kumar Tyagi, the newly appointed chief medical officer, the samples were provided to the state and Centre’s health department. “Officials have visited the chemist shop from which the vaccines were purchased. Samples from the shop have been taken for testing,” Tyagi added.
Investigating officer Ajab Singh said, “We have not been able to record the statement of the chemist who had given the vaccine vials to the hospital staff. We have not received any information on the purchase of vaccines yet.”
Source: Indian Express, 19th September 2010.
More on Instant Death of Twins after Vaccination
Police book absconding doctor for culpable homicide
Sunil Sharma can’t believe his twin daughters Avika and Anika are no more. The textile merchant from Ghaziabad had never imagined that a measles vaccine at a private nursing home in the town would take the life of the his nine-month-old daughters.
Sunil claims his daughters died minutes after being administered the vaccine, usually given when a baby is nine months old, at Divya Nursing Home. Akhil Sharma, an uncle of the twins, said: “I took them for the vaccination around 6 pm on Wednesday. They were given the vaccination around 7.15 pm. In 15 minutes, the children started breathing heavily. We rushed to the doctor who gave them oxygen. But the babies had died by them. Still Dr Satyaveer Singh referred them to Sarvodya Hospital.”
“My wife fainted on hearing about the death of our daughters. She could not believe the news,” said Sunil, who stays in Swarnjayanti Puram.
The family soon gathered at the hospital and sought an explanation. When the doctors failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the deaths, they lodged a complaint. The Ghaziabad police have registered an FIR at the Kavi Nagar police station against Dr Satyaveer Singh under Section 304 of the IPC for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
“I have given orders to seal the hospital and take samples of the vaccine. The doctor is absconding. We have approached the Chief Medical Officer to probe the incident,” said SSP Raghubir Lal. CMO A K Dhawan said he cannot comment on whether the vaccine caused the deaths as a probe is on into the incident.
The Indian Medical Association’s local president Dr Santosh Aggrawal, who visited the hospital after the incident, confirmed that the health of the twins deteriorated after being administered the vaccine. “The doctor had a fresh supply of the vaccine. Still there could be something wrong with the batch of vaccines. Similar deaths have been reported from Kanpur and Lucknow,” he added.
Source: The Indian Express, 17th September 2010.
The twins who both died 15 minutes after vaccination
Vaccination May have Led to Death
A 43-year-old Doxey man who developed cerebral palsy and epilepsy as a baby after receiving a whooping cough vaccination, died as a result of the two disorders, a coroner has ruled.
South Staffordshire coroner, Andrew Haigh, said he came to the conclusion of ‘death due to neurological condition since baby’ after deciding he could not record a verdict of natural causes.
He told the court this was because the inoculation could have led to Martin Davies’ profound disabilities, which in turn led to his death.
Mr Davies was cared for by his parents at their Fernleigh Gardens home.
At Cannock coroners court, Mr Davies’ parents told Mr Haigh their son had been born fit and healthy. However, at the age of two he received a jab against whooping cough, and subsequently became so severely disabled he was left wheelchair-bound, and completely unable to look after himself.
They had been told he would not live beyond the age of 18.
The couple said they believed the jab had resulted in his brain damage. They told Mr Haigh they had attempted to pursue a claim against the health service, but that they had been turned down for legal aid. And they said medical papers relating to their son had been shredded many years ago.
Mr Davies died on August 4 this year after developing pneumonia as a result of inhaling stomach contents.
Mr Haigh was told he had generally been quite well, but in the week prior to his death, he had been suffering from sickness and diarrhoea.
He had been found on his bed at around 6am, having been sick.
Due to the severity of his condition, an ambulance was called, but he went into cardiac arrest, and was pronounced dead at Stafford Hospital.
The cause of death was aspirational pneumonia.
Pathologist, Dr Paul Hiley, said Mr Davies’ gag reflex had been deficient due to his condition, and that this was the likely cause of him inhaling stomach contents.
Mr Haigh praised Mr Davies’ parents for the care they provided, adding: “He was not expected to live as long as he did, and it is probably down to your care that he did.”
Source: IC Stafford.co.uk, 19 October 2010.
http://icstafford.icnetwork.co.uk/news/localnews/tm_headline=vaccination-may-have-led-to-death%26method=full%26objectid=27502552%26siteid=87875-name_page.html
DPT Vaccine Kills Two Babies
After two children reportedly died in Hamirpur and Kullu districts on receiving DPT vaccine injections, the state health department has sealed the batch of the vaccine and sent it for examination to Central Research Institute, Kasauli.
Director Health Services Dr Vinod Pathak said batch number 14037B09 of the vaccine has been sealed across the state and vaccination has been stopped till the report comes in. This year, this is the third case of death reported to have happened after DPT vaccination, confirmed the health department officials.
The latest death was reported on December 13 from Primary Health Centre Bhutti in Kullu district, where a two-month-old girl child died a few hours after being administered the DPT injection.
However, the health authorities are yet to ascertain the exact cause of her death as the child had also been given OBP vaccination on the same day.
Source: Indian Express, 16th December 2010.
Two Month Old Baby Boy Dies After DPT Shot
A two-month-old baby boy died hours after being administered a routine DPT shot at an MCD-run maternity centre at Trinagar in northwest Delhi on Wednesday.
DPT is a combination vaccine against three infectious diseases — diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus.
The infant’s mother, Daisy Jaswani, had taken the baby to the MCD-run maternity centre for the vaccination on Wednesday.
Minutes after the shot, the baby began crying. However, the doctor on-duty assured her that the baby was fine.
By the time Daisy reached home, the baby’s body had turned cold.
She then rushed the baby to a nearby private hospital where he was declared dead.
Ashok Jeswani, the boy’s father, alleged that the MCD authorities’ carelessness had led to the baby’s death.
The family has also lodged a complaint with the Keshavpuram police station.
The body has been sent for postmortem.
“The incident was brought to our knowledge yesterday. Since all vaccinations are provided to us by the Delhi government, its chief district medical officer, northwest district, was contacted. He has collected all the samples required for investigation,” said an MCD official. The MCD has instituted an inquiry under Dr Madhu Jain, director hospital administration at MCD.
“There is enough medical literature to suggest that the baby may have died of a reaction to a part of the vaccination,” said Dr VK Monga, chairman, public health committee, MCD. Source: Hindustan Times, 18th December 2010.
Elias Tembenis – Epilepsy, Ear Infections, Developmental Delay, Autism, Death after DTaP Vaccine
The tragic death of little Elias Tembenis is yet another vaccine injury case you probably won’t hear much about. Yet some medical experts believe it could teach us something about how to make vaccination safer.
It could also add to the limited body of knowledge as to why the vast majority of kids are vaccinated safely, but a minority become seriously ill, brain-damaged or even die. Still, government officials have said they have no plans to study cases like Elias’: cases that victims are winning against the government in the little-known federal vaccine court.
According to court and medical records, Elias was born on Aug. 23, 2000 and appeared healthy until Dec. 26 when he received his second dose of DTaP vaccine. His parents noticed some swelling around the injection site. According to court records:
“Early in the morning on December 27, 2000, Elias’s parents found himseizing in his crib and took him to the emergency room (“ER”)…Within one day, he developed a fever, which led to a complex febrile seizure. Subsequently, Elias developed epilepsy. This fact pattern is commonly seen in the Vaccine Program.”
According to court records, after the DTaP reaction, the once-healthy baby ended up with debilitating medical problems, including features of autism, ear infections and developmental delay. His parents first filed their case as one of the “omnibus” group of autism cases to be heard in federal vaccine court.
According to those familiar with the case, the couple felt their chances of winning with the autism cases was slim because the idea of a link between vaccines and autism is so controversial. So they separated their case from the autism group and filed on the basis of their son’s epilepsy and seizures.
They recently prevailed in court. It’s one more example where vaccine-injured children who end up with autism are quietly winning their cases, but only when they focus on the more general argument of seizures or brain damage rather than autism.
Some victory. On Nov. 17, 2007 Elias’ illnesses became to much for him. The little seven year old boy died. If the right people bothered to study the medical details of the case, they might learn something about why Elias got so sick from his vaccines, and how to identify ahead of time what babies might have the same problem. The former head of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Bernardine Healy, has said such study would actually protect the integrity of the vaccine program, rather than threaten it (as she says many government officials fear). So far, though, no takers. Elias’ case becomes quietly filed away in vaccine court archives with nearly 1,300 other vaccine brain injuries-none of them apparently being pooled for study. An undetermined number of them, like Elias’, involving autism diagnoses.
What made these children get sick? Why couldn’t they tolerate their vaccines when most kids can? Unanswered questions.
Source: CBS News, 19th January 2011.
Two Year Old Dies after Oral Polio Drops
A two-year-old boy died soon after being given oral polio drops at Padappai in suburban Chennai on Sunday morning, the child’s mother told TOI.
Doctors at Chromepet General Hospital said the child was brought dead, and the cause of death could be ascertained only after a postmortem analysis.
Joshua, (2), was taken to an anganwadi by his mother Dhanalakshmi at 8.30 am and given oral polio drops. “I gave the child milk after bringing him home. I was doing the daily chores for a while and when I got back to the child, I saw him in distress. I took him to the nearby Sai Hospital. The private hospital advised me to take him to the general hospital. My son died on the way,” Dhanalakshmi told TOI.
Tamil Nadu director of public health Dr RT Porkai Pandian said it was highly unlikely that the polio drops could have caused the death. “Several other children were given the polio drops from the same vial, but none of them have any problem,” he added.
Many other parents in the neighbourhood panicked and took their children for medical check-up after coming to hear of Joshua’s death.
Immunisation programme in the state had come under a cloud after four 10-month-old babies died within minutes of being administered anti-measles vaccine at two medical camps in Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvallur district on April 23, 2008. Three girls died at a centre in Pennalurpettai village, about 75 km from Chennai. The fourth, a baby boy, died after getting the shot in Venkatapuram village near Tiruttani, 35 km from Thiruvallur.
Source: Times of India, 23rd January 2011.
One Year Old Girl Dies after Polio Vaccination
One girl died and a few others fell ill after polio drops were administered to them at Chevuripalem village in Mudinepalli mandal, Krishna district.
According to information, polio drops were administered to children in the village on Jan 23 as part of the pulse polio programme. A one-year old girl, Saranya, daughter of a farm worker, Sonti Ravindra, developed fever the very next day. Her parents brought her to a private hospital here where she was treated and sent home. But after reaching home, her condition turned critical. The girl died while being brought here on Tuesday.
The little one’s three-year-old cousin, Ayyappa Vigna Kumar (3), also developed fever and was admitted to a private hospital. It is said that he had fits after getting fever. Panicky villagers rushed to the area hospital and a private hospital here with about 25 kids. The doctors treated the children as outpatients and sent them home saying there was no threat to their lives.
District Medical and Health officer Dr Shalini Devi visited the village and claimed that there was no question of reaction of polio drops. However, she said a team of three doctors was appointed to inquire into the death of the girl.
The villagers, nonetheless, appeared unconvinced and attributed the girl’s death and subsequent health problems of their children to the vaccine.
They said they would not let their children be vaccinated in the village again. But none of them filed a police complaint.
Source: Express News Service, 27th January 2011.
Two Vaccines Suspended After FOUR Children Die
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare decided Friday to suspend administering two types of publicly subsidized vaccines as four children recently died after receiving them, notifying municipal governments of the decision, ministry sources said.
The two types are the Hib vaccine to prevent bacterial meningitis and a vaccine to protect against streptococcus pneumoniae.
There have been no reports so far from the doctors who treated the children establishing the causal relationship between the vaccines and their deaths, according to the ministry.
But the ministry is planning to hold a meeting of an expert panel early next week after consulting with other doctors to closely examine the cases, the sources said. The ministry is expected to resume the vaccinations should the panel decide that the two vaccines do not pose serious safety concerns.
The four were a 3-month-old girl in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, who died Feb. 20, a 2-year-old boy in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, who died Tuesday, a 1-year-old girl in Nishinomiya, also in Hyogo, who died Wednesday, and a 6-month-old girl in Kyoto City, who died Friday.
All the doctors of these children described the causal relations between their deaths and the vaccines were either unclear or impossible to evaluate. Some infants had underlying illnesses and others did not.
All of the four children were given a vaccine against streptococcus pneumoniae manufactured by Pfizer Inc, and all excluding the girl in Nishinomiya received ActHIB, a Hib vaccine made by Sanofi Pasteur Inc.
Also, all excluding the boy in Takarazuka received a mixed vaccine against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus on the same day they received other vaccines.
The streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine has been administered to an estimated 1.10 million people in 2.15 million doses since it went on sale in February 2010. The Hib vaccine has been administered to an estimated 1.55 million people in 3.08 million doses since its launch in December 2008.
An increasing number of people are believed to be receiving these vaccines as a program began last November in which the state shoulders half the cost of vaccination if municipal governments organize and subsidize vaccination programs.
At a health ministry research panel meeting on Monday, a case of death after receiving a Hib vaccine was reported, but the panel judged that the vaccine did not pose a serious safety concern.
Source: Japan Today, 5th March 2011.
Four Infants Die Within 15 Minutes of Measles Vaccination
Four infants died in western Gujarat’s Kutch on Wednesday and about five became critical within 15 minutes of their being administered the measles vaccine as part of a drive launched by the Gujarat government. The four who died were below one. Of the ones critical, all are below one and one is 16 months old.
The incident has forced the state health department to halt the vaccination drive in the state for a week while samples have been sent for examination to the Central Research Institute, Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh.
Chief minister Narendra Modi has directed the health authorities to conduct an enquiry into the incident. The state government has declared a compensation of Rs 1 lakh to each of the bereaved families.
“Our preliminary investigation into the incident has revealed that the children who were vaccinated developed reaction and four children have succumbed while a few more are under treatment,” Gujarat health minister Jaynarayan Vyas told HT.
“We have withdrawn the vaccination programme after the incident and also sent samples of the vaccine for examination,” Vyas said, adding, “the vaccines were procured by the state health department and the expiry time was April 2012.”
The vaccine was manufactured by Indian Immunologicals Ltd (IIL), a unit of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), and it produces shots for rabies, hepatitis B, measles, etc.
“One infant was vaccinated by a nurse in the field while three others were administered vaccine at Rambag Hospital in Adipur town,” a senior health department official in Kutch said.
The post-mortem had been conducted and the reports had been sent to the state health department, he added.
Source: Hindustan Times,16th March 2011.
Four Infants Die Within 15 Mins of Measles Vaccine and a Fifth Within One Hour
Another report of the same incident, detailing the death of a 5th infant.
Five infants, around 10-months-old, died after being vaccinated for measles at Gandhidhams Rambaugh Hospital on Wednesday. Three others are said to be serious. The entire stock of this vaccine in the state has been withdrawn pending lab tests and measles vaccination in the district has been stopped till further notice.
Following the deaths at 10 am, people went berserk breaking furniture and fixtures and beating up Dr Abhishek Makwana, who was on duty. Four infants died within minutes of being vaccinated by two female health workers while one infant died after an hour.
The four who died immediately were Daksha Gangji Gandhi of Gandhidham, Vaishali Mahesh Purabia of Adipur, Yuvraj Kishan Chauhan of Adipur and Veer Manubhai Chaudhry.
Relatives of the unfortunate infants have refused to accept the bodies demanding intervention of chief minister Narendra Modi and are insisting on his immediate arrival at the hospital. Modi expressed grief over the deaths and announced an assistance of Rs one lakh to each family. “It is a very painful incident and the state government has ordered a high-level probe into the matter,” he said.
The district collector and the district health officer rushed to the hospital. It is learnt that a central team is also reaching the hospital to carry out a spot assessment. District health officer Dr S K Modh said the lethal measles doses were manufactured by Human Biologicals Institute, a unit of Indian Immunologicals Ltd, Hyderabad, which is a fully owned subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board. The batch was manufactured in May 2010 and its expiry date was 2012. Batch number MES 10/10 was used at Rambaug hospital and it was stored in proper condition, Dr Modh said.
Officials of Indian Immunological Ltd said they had not received official word on the incident. Nevertheless, they said such instances have occurred even in the past and while initially vaccines are blamed, each time the vaccine after being tested at any of the country’s labs is found of standard quality. Officials blamed the handling of the vaccine as the problem.
“It appears from all indications there is no problem with the vaccine. It is a programme error (the way the vaccine is handled). As per WHO guidelines, vaccine which comes in a vial should be reconstituted and used within two hours but there have been instances when the vaccine has been reconstituted and kept overnight (before being administered),” said N Anand, general manager, marketing, Indian Immunological Ltd.
Source: The Times of India, 17th March 2011.
Four Infants Die Within 15 Mins of Measles Vaccine and a Fifth Within One Hour
Another report of the same incident, detailing the death of a 5th infant.
Five infants, around 10-months-old, died after being vaccinated for measles at Gandhidhams Rambaugh Hospital on Wednesday. Three others are said to be serious. The entire stock of this vaccine in the state has been withdrawn pending lab tests and measles vaccination in the district has been stopped till further notice.
Following the deaths at 10 am, people went berserk breaking furniture and fixtures and beating up Dr Abhishek Makwana, who was on duty. Four infants died within minutes of being vaccinated by two female health workers while one infant died after an hour.
The four who died immediately were Daksha Gangji Gandhi of Gandhidham, Vaishali Mahesh Purabia of Adipur, Yuvraj Kishan Chauhan of Adipur and Veer Manubhai Chaudhry.
Relatives of the unfortunate infants have refused to accept the bodies demanding intervention of chief minister Narendra Modi and are insisting on his immediate arrival at the hospital. Modi expressed grief over the deaths and announced an assistance of Rs one lakh to each family. “It is a very painful incident and the state government has ordered a high-level probe into the matter,” he said.
The district collector and the district health officer rushed to the hospital. It is learnt that a central team is also reaching the hospital to carry out a spot assessment. District health officer Dr S K Modh said the lethal measles doses were manufactured by Human Biologicals Institute, a unit of Indian Immunologicals Ltd, Hyderabad, which is a fully owned subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board. The batch was manufactured in May 2010 and its expiry date was 2012. Batch number MES 10/10 was used at Rambaug hospital and it was stored in proper condition, Dr Modh said.
Officials of Indian Immunological Ltd said they had not received official word on the incident. Nevertheless, they said such instances have occurred even in the past and while initially vaccines are blamed, each time the vaccine after being tested at any of the country’s labs is found of standard quality. Officials blamed the handling of the vaccine as the problem.
“It appears from all indications there is no problem with the vaccine. It is a programme error (the way the vaccine is handled). As per WHO guidelines, vaccine which comes in a vial should be reconstituted and used within two hours but there have been instances when the vaccine has been reconstituted and kept overnight (before being administered),” said N Anand, general manager, marketing, Indian Immunological Ltd.
Source: The Times of India, 17th March 2011.
Vaccine-related deaths triples after closure of govt labs
111 Children Die From Vaccines in 2008 and a Further 116 in 2009
The number of children dying due to immunization-related complications has more than tripled after the government closed down three public sector vaccine labs in January 2008. The government has no clue about the causes while children continue to die, the latest being that of five infants in Gujarat on Wednesday.
Details given by the Union ministry of health and family welfare in reply to an RTI query filed by Dr KV Babu of Payyanur show that 111 children died in 2008 due to “adverse effect after immunisation (AEFI)”. AEFI is a general term that covers various reasons, including bad vaccine quality due to break in cold chain, contamination and complications due to pre-existing conditions of the child.
In 2009, the latest year for which the ministry has given details, 116 children died due to AEFI. In contrast, 32 children lost their lives to AEFI in 2007.
The government closed down its three labs — Central Research Institute in Kasauli, BCG Laboratory in Chennai and Pasteur Institute of India in Coonoor — in January 2008, citing the non-compliance of good manufacturing practices. To make up for the demand of 75 lakh vaccines doses of six kinds needed for its universal immunisation programme, the government has been proc-uring them from private firm.
The ministry has not found anything amiss. “In a country where 25 million children are born every year, it won’t be proper to jump into conclusions. We are following the protocol of investigations,” health secretary K Chandramouli told TOI.
Experts don’t think so. “India is not following the Brighton Collaboration criteria, adopted by WHO to deal with AEFI deaths,” said Jacob M Puliyel, head of paediatrics at Delhi’s St Stephen’s Hospital. The WHO protocol says that an AEFI death should be considered ‘certain/very likely’ if it occurs immediately after vaccination and if no other disease or drug is found as reason. “Here, we just test the vaccine and say there is nothing wrong,” said Dr Puliyel.
Child health and immunisation deputy commissioner Ajay Khera said, “About 20 lakh children under 5 die every year. This converts to approximately 5,000 deaths every day, and hence a few deaths after immunisation cannot be linked to the vaccine.
