Aurangabad: 4 infants killed by measles vaccination.

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This article appered in TIMES OF INDIA news paper Pune edition.

4 infants die after measles vaccination

Six Battling For Life In Aurangabad Hospital

Syed Rizwanullah | TNN

Aurangabad: Four children — all aged between eight and 12 months — have died after they were administered measles vaccine at Waghola village in Phulamri taluka, about 30 km from here. Six other children are battling for their lives at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) here. Deputy director of health,M I J Qazi, said, "The health department immediately stopped the vaccination drive,which was launched in the four districts of Aurangabad, Jalna, Beed and Hingoli on September 12". The police have seized the vaccines and other materials and have sent them for forensic examination. Prabhakar Shelke, deputy superintendent of police (Aurangabad rural), said a case has been registered in the matter. Bhagwan Gaikwad, father of one of the children admitted at the hospital, said, a

team — an auxiliary nurse midwife, a multi-purpose worker and a supervisor — from Jategaon primary health centre administered the vaccines to 10 children in Waghola around 11 am on Friday. But all the 10 children developed high fever around 3 pm. "They were rushed to the Phulamri rural hospital, where the doctors referred them to the GMCH late in the evening," Appasaheb Borde, a relative of another patient, said. One of the children died on the way to the hospital, while three others succumbed on Saturday. They were identified as Krishna Gaikwad, Shubham Gaikwad, Kalyani Gaikwad (all were one-year-old) and Parmeshwar Gaikwad (10 months). Those in serious condition are Suraj Navture (10 months), Ujjawala Navture, Kalyani Gaikwad (both one-year-old) , Priyanka Gaikwad (nine months), Nilesh Borde (10 months) and Rahul Gaikwad (nine months). "The

vaccine, which is available in powdered form, has to be mixed with specific diluting agents before administering. If liquids like saline water is used to mix the powder, it can cause contamination. The vaccine can cause dangerous reactions if it is not used within four hours of its preparation. A contaminated needle could also have caused the problem," explained Qazi. Vijay Waghmare, CEO, Aurangabad ZP, said, "The authorities have issued showcause notices to the medical officer and the three staff members who had gone to Waghola village".

“There is an unpleasant whiff of arrogance in the whole (vaccine-autism) debate,†Horton says. “Can the public not be trusted with a controversial hypothesis? The view that the public cannot interpret uncertainty indicates an old-fashioned paternalism at work. The public is entitled to know as much as possible.â€

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