Seven School Kids Taken To Hospital After Vaccines

A group of schoolchildren in Luton were taken to hospital after complaining that they felt unwell following an injection this morning (January 30).

Seven students from Year 10 at Icknield High School were taken to the Luton & Dunstable Hospital as they became ill immediately after receiving the diptheria, tetanus and polio (Td/IPV) vaccine.

A statement from NHS Luton said: "All of the children are recovering. Five of the children who showed a reaction have now been released with the final two due to go home this afternoon."

According to NHS Luton, the vaccine was stopped as soon as the children became unwell with 72 students having already been vaccinated.

Source: Luton Today, 30th January 2009.

Youth Falls Ill After Vaccination

A vaccination drive by a private city clinic in Astodiya went awry after one of the persons, Piyush Rana, 19, fell ill within minutes after the injection. The vaccination was against measles, mumps and rubella (also called German measles).

Rana was rushed to VS hospital under emergency. His father, Arvind Rana, says, "We paid around Rs 100 for the vaccination programme but after getting injected my son complained of dizziness and fell on the road."

Recently, many NGOs and private institutes have started conducting vaccination drives in city, which requires no clearance from the health department of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). A senior AMC official says, "There is a serious lack of guidelines for these kind of organisations. Many such NGOs have cropped up and they can jeopardise many lives for the sake of a quick buck."

The incident was reported to the Khadia police station. Police inspector, Khadia police station, AB Bhimavat says, "We got a complaint from the public gathered here and have recorded the statement of the affected person admitted at the hospital and will be taking necessary action in this regard."

Chairman, health committee, AMC, Praful Raval says, "Citizens should check the credentials of doctors and the organisations before enrolling for such vaccination programmes."

Source: Times of India, 10th May 2009.

11 Children ill After Rubella Vaccination, 3 Hospitalized

By Kanchana Kumara from Dambulla

At least eleven school children of Dambulla National School were taken ill after being vaccinated against rubella, Dambulla Base Hospital authorities said. Medical Superintendent Dr. Iresha Fernando said three children had been admitted to the hospital during the last two days.

She said that five of them were still under treatment while the others discharged after recovering.

The children under treatment were said to have fallen ill after being vaccinated against rubella. They were said to have developed headaches, vomitting and felt faintish after the vaccination. However the Divisional Medical Officer Dr, Jayanath Jayasundera said it was usual that many children developed these symptoms after being giving the rubella vaccination and that it was not due to any lapse on the part of the officials or a deficiency in the vaccination.

Source: Daily Mirror, 1st October 2009.

Baby Being Treated for TB after He is Given an Overdose of BCG Vaccine

An investigation is under way after a newborn baby was given 10 times the normal dose of a tuberculosis vaccine at Scunthorpe General Hospital.

The boy was injected with 0.5mg of the BCG vaccine instead of the usual 0.05mg dose, lawyers for his family said.

The boy, who was born on 5 February, is now being treated for tuberculosis by immunology specialists at Sheffield Children's Hospital.

The Scunthorpe hospital trust said it had "launched a full investigation".

Law firm Irwin Mitchell, which has been instructed to act on behalf of the baby's parents, said the vaccine was prescribed and administered by a junior doctor.

It was also investigating reports that other children had been given vaccine overdoses.

David Body, a medical law specialist at the firm, said: "It is unclear how many people have been affected but we have received reports that others may also have been given the same overdose.

"This case raises important questions about basic systems in hospitals to ensure the safe administration of drugs, including vaccines."

A spokesman for the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "As soon as we were made aware of the incident we launched a full investigation which is ongoing.

"We continue to keep in touch with the parents, providing them with updates as to the results of the investigation."

No further details would be released because of patient confidentiality, the trust said.

Mr Body said: "This is a difficult time for the baby's family.

"Their baby is receiving treatment for TB, which has its own side effects, but they are hopeful that the treatment will be successful with no long term damage to their baby's health."

The four-week-old boy is in a stable condition at Sheffield Children's Hospital where doctors are working in conjunction with the National Poisons Information Service.

Source: BBC News, 8th March 2010.

17 Babies Sick After Being Given Expired Measles Vaccinations

A baby who received a shot of expired medication for measles is being cared for by his parents at a ward in the Harbin Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, May 25, 2010. Some 17 babies plagued by measles were wrongly injected with expired medicine at a Harbin hospital. Families of the babies said the expired medication led to a deterioration of their children's sickness and demanded explanations from the hospital. The hospital said there were no adverse reactions in those babies after a consultation by doctors.

Source: http://www2.chinadaily.com.cn/photo/2010-05/26/content_9894322.htm

This link has photographs of the sick baby including one very sick baby in intensive care.