Shivamogga: Antibiotics administered to sick kids to be sent for lab analysis

A day after nine children fell ill after receiving second dose of antibiotics for fever, the Shivamogga district administration on Monday said that it will send all injections, vials and other antibiotics used on the children for a forensic analysis

A day after nine children fell ill after receiving second dose of antibiotics for fever, the Shivamogga district administration on Monday said that it will send all injections, vials and other antibiotics used on the children for a forensic analysis.

The DHO added that the other possible reasons could be the delay in giving injections as the injection should be given as soon as it is mixed and there could have been a delay of a few minutes in administering the dose. (Shutterstock)

District health officer (DHO) of Shviamogga Dr. Rajesh Surgehalli said, “The children, aged between 10 months to 12 years of age, were given their second dose of antibiotics at 6.30pm in Sagara Taluka hospital on Sunday evening.”

“The same injection has been given to children in other places too who did not have a reaction. It is a diluent and the antibiotics is a powder in a vial. The diluent or distilled water is taken, mixed with the powder and then given to the child. There could be some contamination in this process,” Surgehalli said.

The news of the children falling ill after the injections added to apprehensions of people in the Shivamogga district, about 300 kms from Bengaluru.

The DHO added that the other possible reasons could be the delay in giving injections as the injection should be given as soon as it is mixed and there could have been a delay of a few minutes in administering the dose. The DHO also did not rule out the possibility that a nurse or technical error in administering the dose too fast to the child, “which reacts sometimes in this way,” he added.

At least nine children were administered the doses after which they fell ill. At least four children were taken to Shivamogga district hospital for observation.

“Out of the nine children, seven had fever and chills after the dose. Four of them were shifted to the district hospital for observation,” he added.All children are stable now, the DHO confirmed.

He said that the antibiotics used was a broad-spectrum one which is routinely used.

“To rule out all possibilities and determine the exact cause, we are sending the antibiotics used to the Bengaluru drug control lab for an analysis,” he added.