HimVani
Shimla (Dec 17): As the deaths toll allegedly due to administration of DPT vaccine rose to three, one outside Himachal, it has set alarm bell ringing among officials and also parents. With one more death of an infant reported in New Delhi yesterday, the number of deaths due to suspected DPT dose has gone to three, the other two victims being from Kullu and Hamirpur districts.
A two-month-old baby died within hours of being administered DPT vaccine at an MCD-run maternity centre in north-west Delhi as parent of the deceased filed a complaint at Keshavpuram police station alleging that their child died within four hours of being administered the DPT vaccine yesterday.
It has been reported earlier that two girls died after administration of DPT vaccine to them, two separate incidents occurred within an interval of one week at Mohal area in Kullu district and Jharnot in Hamirpur. Acting swiftly after death of one more child at Delhi yesterday, Himachal Pradesh government has banned use of DTP vaccine in the order of batch 14037B09 and dated January 2010, with an expiry date of December 2011. The state government has also ordered an inquiry into the two deaths, principal secretary of health, PC Dhiman said in a release here on Thursday.
However, parents of both the victims have threatened to move the court against the health authorities for their negligence in giving such a deadly vaccine. A sample of the vaccine has been sent to the Central Medical Research Institute in Kasauli, where DPT vaccine is also being produced.
