Child death after vaccination may be due to anaphylactic shock

(Baonghean.vn) - On October 20, 2015, Quang Phong Commune Health Station, Que Phong District organized a regular vaccination campaign for children in the area. After the vaccination, 01 child died... The authorities have actively investigated the cause as well as encouraged the family and overcome the consequences. On the afternoon of October 21, Nghe An Department of Health organized a session to provide information about this incident:

31,719 injections, 1 reaction, adverse event

On October 20, 2015, Quang Phong Commune Health Station organized vaccinations for children according to the regular vaccination schedule. The number of children in the expected age to be vaccinated was 120. The number of children expected to be vaccinated with the 5-in-1 vaccine was 46. Before this vaccination, Quang Phong Commune Health Station received 46 doses of vaccine from the Nghe An Provincial Preventive Medicine Center.

More than 31 thousand children vaccinated with 5-in-1 vaccine in Nghe An, 01 child had a reaction.

This batch of 5-in-1 vaccine has the serial number 1453322.03, imported from Korea, with an expiration date of July 1, 2017, and has been quality tested by the National Vaccine Council before being exported. Nghe An imported 36,000 doses of 5-in-1 vaccine on September 3, 2015; 35,387 doses were provided to district, city, and town health centers and commune, ward, and town health stations; to date, 31,719 doses have been used and the only case of post-vaccination adverse event at Quang Phong Commune Health Station is the case.

Rapid post-injection reactions

Information from Que Phong District Medical Center said: To vaccinate children, from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. on October 20, Quang Phong Commune Medical Station organized a screening examination for all children coming to the station and guided them to the vaccination room according to the procedure. Lo Tuan Truong (born on July 4, 2015, in Co Huong village, died) was the 26th person to receive the injection at 9:00 a.m. This was the second injection of the 5-in-1 vaccine, Truong was vaccinated according to schedule.

After the injection, Truong was transferred to the monitoring room; after 10 minutes, he sobbed for 3 hours, then had difficulty breathing and turned purple. Quang Phong Commune Health Station treated and gave first aid according to the anaphylactic shock protocol, but it was ineffective and got worse. After about 1 hour of first aid, Truong died.

Authorities actively take action

Quang Phong Commune Health Station informed the Party Committee, Commune People's Committee, Commune Police, District Health Center and these forces quickly arrived. At the same time, the District Health Center also reported to Nghe An Department of Health. The working group of the District People's Committee led by a Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee was also present 30 minutes after the child died to direct the investigation and encourage the family. Que Phong District Police sealed 29 used and unused vaccine vials.

Representative of Nghe An Department of Health quickly reported on the incident.

Upon receiving the notice, Nghe An Department of Health issued Official Dispatch No. 2613 on handling medical incidents after vaccination at Quang Phong Medical Station (Que Phong), with the following contents: Requesting Que Phong District Medical Center to stop using and seal all 5-in-1 vaccines at Quang Phong Commune Medical Station; Coordinate with the Provincial Medical Center and the forensic agency to conduct an autopsy to determine and clarify the cause; Coordinate with local authorities, agencies, departments, and organizations to encourage and express condolences to the family.

Also on the morning of October 20, the Department of Health established an independent investigation team to go to Que Phong district to conduct an investigation and collect specific information. The Department also reported to the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, inviting experts from the Institute to participate in determining the cause.

Most likely the child died of anaphylactic shock

Following the direction of the Department of Health, the District Health Center asked the family for permission to perform an autopsy, conduct a forensic examination, and help investigate and determine the cause of the child's death, but the family did not agree. After reaching an agreement with the relevant authorities, the family asked not to perform an autopsy and brought the child home for burial at 4:30 p.m. on October 20, 2015.

At the information session this afternoon, Doctor Bui Dinh Long, Director of Nghe An Department of Health, said: This is a case of a post-vaccination reaction that developed particularly quickly. The investigation team had difficulty determining the cause of death because the family did not agree to an autopsy. It is likely that the child died of anaphylactic shock... The exact cause can be determined after the Provincial Advisory Council for Post-Vaccination Adverse Events meets and analyzes with the participation of officials from the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

Thanh Son