Infant dies in Bac Lieu Province after vaccination

Health authorities are investigating the death of a five-month-old infant from Quinvaxem vaccine injection at a medical clinic in Bac Lieu Province in the Mekong Delta on November 24.

Health authorities are investigating the death of a five-month-old infant from Quinvaxem vaccine injection at a medical clinic in Bac Lieu Province in the Mekong Delta on November 24.

The Department of Preventive Medicine has asked the National Expanded Program on Immunization and the Department of Health in Bac Lieu Province for verification of the case, said Tran Dac Phu, Head of the Department of Preventive Medicine.

According to a report by the provincial Department of Health, the five-month-old baby girl was taken to the medical clinic in Hung Phu Commune for a 5-in-1 Quinvaxem vaccine shot. However, she turned blue and died four hours after vaccination despite intensive care treatment by medical workers of the clinic.

Experts from the Ministry of Health arrived in Bac Lieu Province for investigation. As per initial investigation, the cause of the baby's death was because of respiratory and blood circulation failure and she may have suffered anaphylactic shock.

In related news, Dr. Pham Anh Son, former Head of Pediatrics Department of Thuong Tin General Hospital in Hanoi, who also runs an unlicensed private clinic at his home and was responsible for the death of a 16-month-old baby on November 19, will receive severe penalties for violating regulations.

The Department has decided to revoke the doctor’s practice license and Thuong Tin General Hospital has already suspended him from work.

In June another baby had died after being injected with the same medicine at Dr Son’s clinic. The clinic was fined VND17.5 million (US$830) and ordered to close doors, but Son continued to illegally operate his home clinic.

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