Health ministry says polio vaccine doesn't cause fatalities
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The recent deaths of at least four children has raised concerns over the safety of the polio vaccine administered under the government's nationwide program.
In response to a legal suit filed by the parents of nine-month-old girl, Nabila, who died six days after her first dose of polio vaccine on May 31, the central government has refused to entertain a link between the children's deaths and the vaccines.
Ministry of Health vaccination division head Jane Supardi explained on Sunday that a preliminary report made by an independent team investigating the cause of the children's deaths had made it clear there was nothing wrong with the vaccine.
"The team told us that the children's deaths had nothing to do with the vaccine dispensed during the May 31 mass vaccination. The children may have suffered other diseases they contracted before their vaccination," the physician told The Jakarta Post.
She referred to the National Committee on Post-Vaccination Incidents, which is manned by experts in, among other fields, public health, virology and microbiology from universities established by the health ministry.
On Saturday, the Legal Institute for Health (LBH Kesehatan) representing Herman and Sainah, of Sukamaju subdistrict in Depok, reported the Depok administration to the Jakarta police for alleged negligence that caused the death of Nabila, the seventh of eight siblings.
City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said on Sunday the report was still being examined.
LBH Kesehatan claimed that a total of 61 babies, including six in Jakarta, one in Depok, and one in Bandung, had become victims of the substandard vaccine.
"As far as I know, the vaccine has no side effects at all. It is definitely safe. That's why the World Health Organization has allowed non-medical assistants to give it to babies," Jane said.
"We are afraid that after hearing the vaccine can cause fatalities, parents will be reluctant to vaccinate their children. Just one dose is not enough to make babies immune from polio. They have to be given at least three doses," she added.
The central government arranged the mass polio vaccination for under-fives to stave off an outbreak of the disease. Previously vaccinated children were not excluded from the program.
The second round will be conducted on June 28.
She said that, as of June, 153 babies had contracted polio, adding that number would likely rise in the coming months.
"India, which is, we believe, the source of the recent polio outbreak, has only 14 babies with polio virus. Imagine if we stop the vaccination because of an unverified conviction," Jane said.
Marzuki Abdullah, president director of Bio Farma, the company that produces the vaccine, agreed with Jane saying that all doses given were within their expiry dates.
"It is very unlikely that our vaccine could cause babies to die as the vaccine is fine. It is not true that the vaccine should be given three years before the expiry date," he told the Post.
LBH Kesehatan claimed on Saturday that the May 31 vaccination was improper and violated international standards as the government had used a vaccine that would expire in 2006.