Ministry of Health reports on the case of 4 children hospitalized due to expired vaccines
Thanh Hoa Department of Health held a professional council meeting and reported the case of 4 children being injected with expired vaccines to the Ministry of Health, the Department of Preventive Medicine, and the Provincial People's Committee.
Mr. Nguyen Ba Can - Deputy Director of Thanh Hoa Department of Health said that he had received a report about the incident that occurred at Nong Cong District Medical Center.
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When the vaccine container was brought home, the parents discovered that the medicine had expired. Photo: Family provided |
“The Department of Health has just sent a document to the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, the Ministry of Health, the Department of Preventive Medicine and the Central Institute of Epidemiology. The Department also held a meeting of the professional council with the participation of representatives of the Central Institute of Epidemiology,” said Mr. Can.
According to Mr. Can, first of all, relevant units must ensure the health safety of children and the department has also assigned the Thanh Hoa Center for Disease Control to review and re-examine the vaccination process in the area.
Mr. Phan Van Chuong - Head of Thang Binh Commune Health Station said that before the injection, the children were screened according to regulations, and the medicine was stored at a temperature of 4-8 degrees Celsius.
“We are very transparent in the vaccination process. After the injection, we gave the vaccine box to the family for monitoring, then discovered that the medicine had expired 39 days ago. The medical staff mixed up the batches of medicine. We take responsibility for the children’s families,” said Mr. Chuong.
According to the Nong Cong District Medical Center (Thanh Hoa), the batch of 165 Hexaxim vaccine doses was imported on May 23, 2022. The vials injected into the children in Thang Binh were the last doses.
Fly thousands of kilometers to visit my children
Hearing that his daughter had to be hospitalized after receiving an expired vaccine, Mr. Vu Huu Vuong (born in 1994, father of 3-month-old VAN), immediately flew from the South to his hometown with his family to take care of his child.
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Four children in Thanh Hoa were injected with expired Hexaxim vaccine. Photo: Tran Nghi |
Mr. Vuong said that after getting his child vaccinated, his wife called him to ask about the expiry date of the vaccine on the vaccine box. After looking at it, he discovered that the medicine was 2 months past its expiry date.
“My wife said that the baby had symptoms of fever, fussiness, not breastfeeding, and rashes. I was extremely worried. While working in Binh Duong, I immediately went to the airport to return home to take care of the baby, monitor the baby's health and work with the authorities,” said Mr. Vuong.
Thanh Hoa Children's Hospital informed that as of this morning (May 11), the children are stable, have no fever, no vomiting, no difficulty breathing and are being cared for and monitored.
