Three babies die after polio vaccinations<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Health Sujudi reported yesterday
\nthat three children died this week after being vaccinated for
\npolio, arguing that diseases, not the vaccine, killed them.<\/p>\n
The deaths occurred in Tangerang and Cianjur, West Java, and
\nin Lampung, Sujudi told a press conference on the nationwide
\nvaccination drive.<\/p>\n
The three-day drive, which targeted 21.8 million Indonesian
\nchildren below the age of five, successfully vaccinated 22.7
\nmillion children= or 104 percent of its original target, he said.<\/p>\n
According to Sujudi, the three babies were sick when they were
\ntaken to health workers to be immunized.<\/p>\n
\"Maryati (of Tangerang) died of bronchial-pneumonia, a disease
\nwhich often affects children under the age of five,\" Sujudi said.<\/p>\n
Maryati, whose death sparked a lively debate on possible legal
\naction against the health workers in charge of her immunization,
\nwas reportedly breathing heavily before she died.<\/p>\n
\"The polio vaccine is safe and is unlikely to cause death,\" he
\nsaid, adding that the vaccine takes effect after two weeks. \"So,
\nit is impossible that the vaccine works immediately after it is
\ndelivered.\"<\/p>\n
A vaccine is a preparation of dead microorganisms or living
\nattenuated organisms that is administered to produce or
\nartificially increase immunity to a particular disease.<\/p>\n
According to the ministry's report, by Thursday 12 p.m., three
\nchildren had died shortly after being vaccinated.<\/p>\n
In Tangerang, 14-month-old Maryati died an hour after
\nreceiving two polio vaccine drops at a vaccination post in
\nPalasari village.<\/p>\n
An 18-month-old unidentified child died in Cianjur and a four-
\nmonth-old male infant died in Lampung shortly after receiving
\nvaccinations.<\/p>\n
\"In Cianjur, the baby died because of bronchial-pneumonia,
\nwhile in Lampung, the baby was suffering from diarrhea.\" Sujudi
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Sujudi, a physician by training, refused to say whether the
\npolio vaccine worsened the children's conditions.<\/p>\n
He said he was waiting for reports from 275,000 more
\nvaccination posts across the country.<\/p>\n
Noted lawyer Amir Syamsuddin said earlier that it would be
\ndifficult to blame the volunteers recruited to administer the
\nvaccine.<\/p>\n
He criticized the drive for focusing on quotas and urged the
\nnational committee to become more professional.<\/p>\n
The first phase of the second anti-polio drive, involved one
\nmillion health workers -- recruited mostly from the Family
\nWelfare Movement, social organizations, the scouts and teachers
\n-- to administer 60 million doses of the vaccine.<\/p>\n
Last year, a seven-day campaign vaccinated 101.8 percent of
\nits target of 21.7 million children.<\/p>\n
Sujudi said that more children than estimated were vaccinated
\nthis year because of a wide-spread publicity campaign on the
\ndrive and because of an increased number of new-born babies.<\/p>\n
\"Eighteen provinces, including East Timor, vaccinated more
\nchildren than were targeted,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The second phase of the drive will occur on Oct. 15. (31)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/three-babies-die-after-polio-vaccinations-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }