Infant dies in MP 30 minutes after vaccination

A three-month-old child died shortly after being given a routine vaccination shot at a government-organised camp on Tuesday, less than ten days after a similar case in MP.

A three-month old child died shortly after being given a routine vaccination shot at a government-organised camp on Tuesday, less than ten days after a similar case in MP.

Wailing-parents-of-the-child-who--died--in-Ujjain-on-Tuesday-Sunil-Magariya-HT-photo

Tuesday’s incident took place at an anganwadi centre in Ujjain district’s Bandka village.

The death of two kids in the span of 10 days raises questions on the standard of medicines being used in government programmes. Three-and-a-half month old Krushna was taken to get a DPT (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis) vaccine shot in the morning.

The child’s father, Dinesh Panchal, said the boy started frothing at the mouth within half-an-hour of receiving the injection.

“When we informed the anganwadi assistant there, she said it was common and the child might cry for the rest of the day,” the father said. When the child’s health worsened, the parents decided to take him to the district hospital where he was declared brought dead.

The child died because of the vaccine and the callous attitude of the angandwadi assistant, the parents alleged.

District immunisation officer KC Parmar said his department will investigate the matter. “If anybody is found guilty, action will be taken and if any defect in vaccine is found, we will probe the matter,” Parmar said.

Earlier this month, a Madhya Pradesh-registered drugmaker was blamed for tainted antibiotics that killed 11 women in a Chhattisgarh sterilisation camp. The Congress had on Monday alleged that drugs made by blacklisted companies were being sold in Madhya Pradesh.