5 undergoing treatment; batch from which vaccine was taken suspended
THE BEREAVED: Parents of a child grieving at a hospital in Egmore, Chennai on Wednesday.
TIRUVALLUR: Four children – 3 girls and a boy – from Tiruvallur district died on Wednesday soon after they were given measles vaccine shots.
Five other children, including a 15-day-old infant, who fell ill were admitted to the Government District Headquarters Hospital here. Public health directorate officials who conducted an enquiry into the incident said it was suspected that all the affected children got their shots from one particular batch of vaccine.
The use of this batch throughout the State was immediately suspended. Samples from the vials suspected to be “contaminated” have been sent to the Central Research Institute, Kasauli, for chemical analysis.
On Wednesday morning, village health nurse Jayalalitha of Katchur Primary Health Centre in Poondi Panchayat Union began administering measles vaccine to children less than 13 months old. She took a vial from the ice-box and administered the prescribed quantity to the waiting children. Soon after, five children – Puja, daughter of Angamuthu, and Nandhini, daughter of Ezhumalai from Pennalurpet, both 10 months old; Rakshitha of Plazpalayam, Mohanapriya, daughter of Mohan, Plazpalayam and Vignesh of Gudiyum, all aged around 12 months – developed complications and were rushed to the Government Hospital here around noon.
While, Puja, Nandhini and Mohanapriya died in the hospital, the others were saved. Later in the evening, two other children, both from the Pennalurpet area, were admitted to hospital. A 10-month-old boy, Lokesh, son of Kuppaiah of Venkatapuram, collapsed after he was given the measles shot by the Koonimangadu PHC nurse, Parvathy. He died on the way to the Institute of Child Health, Egmore.
Tension prevailed at the Tiruvallur Government Hospital after relatives refused to accept the bodies and demanded immediate action against those responsible for the deaths.
Minister’s assurance
Health Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam who came to the hospital in the evening enquired after the health of the ailing children and consoled the parents of the deceased. He assured them that action would be taken against those found responsible for the incident. The nurses – Jayalalitha and Parvathy – have been placed under suspension, he said.
Talking to reporters, Mr.Panneerselvam said the vaccines were earlier procured from Pune, but only six months ago, the State had begun buying vaccines from the public sector establishment, Human Biological Institute, Hyderabad. About 20,000 children had received vaccines from the same batch (before they were withdrawn) in the State, but there were no other reports of complications.
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