By: Shailvee Sharda, The Times of India
17 September 2010
LUCKNOW: 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.
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