BBC story changed to avoid vaccine criticism
both with same URL http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1651000/1651863.stm
| Original BBC story Source: BBC News Online, Mon 12 Nov 2001 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1651000/1651863.stm |
Changed story (all polio references gone) http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1651000/1651863.stm |
| Morbidity and Mortality after Polio vaccination in
Assam -------------------------------------------------------- CALCUTTA: At least 10 children have died in India's northeastern state of Assam of side effects after being administered a vaccine during an polio immunisation campaign run by the state government. More than 500 children have been admitted to government and private hospitals after falling sick. Angry groups of parents have surrounded offices of the local administration in protest in Assam's southern city of Silchar. On Sunday, thousands of children were administered a polio vaccine throughout Assam and the rest of the country. But within a day of the massive polio immunisation campaign, reports have come in of large-scale side effects in and around the city of Silchar in southern Assam. Officials say 9 children have died in one village -- Labok -- while one died in Malugram locality of Silchar. Non-governmental organisations in Silchar who assist the government in this campaign say outdated vaccines were possibly supplied in some areas. But officials were not willing to speculate on the causes of the large-scale side effects. [Byline: Subir Bhaumik]
|
Tuesday, 13 November,
2001, 13:39 GMT (still with polio sidebar links) Ten children have died in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam as a result of an anti-blindness campaign, the BBC has learnt. Thousands of children have also fallen ill after being given a syrup containing Vitamin A as part of a programme organised by the Indian authorities and subsidised by the UN children's organisation, Unicef. The BBC's Subir Bhaumik in Calcutta says there are fears that the numbers affected could rise. Lack of Vitamin A is one of the biggest causes of blindness in childhood. Inquiry The worst cases were reported from the southern district of Silchar, where all the deaths took place. However, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi played down the tragedy and told the BBC that only one child had died. He said he had ordered an inquiry. Hundreds of thousands of children were administered the Vitamin A dose on Sunday in the day-long drive. Within a few hours of receiving the dose, hundreds of children were taken ill and admitted to hospitals. 'Outdated stock' Non-governmental organisations in Silchar who assisted the government in the campaign say outdated stock were possibly supplied in some areas. "Maybe the Vitamin A quota supplied to Assam was not checked properly as should be the practice when it involves a mass immunisation programme," Anil Sharma, a child specialist, was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. But the director of Assam's health services said the medicine was not contaminated and added the children may have been given an overdose. "There must be something wrong with the amount of medicine given to the children, Dr BC Kro said. Doctors fear that some of the sick children may die increasing the casualties. Emergency medical camps have been set up in the worst affected districts to treat the children. |
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 7:12 PM
INDIA: UNICEF, WHO Reject Link Between Polio Vaccine, Child Illnesses
Officials from the World Health Organization and UNICEF have categorically
denied any link between the oral polio vaccine and children becoming ill
this week in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, as reported by BBC and
local media Monday.
Some media sources have publicly apologized for making any link between the
oral polio vaccine and hundreds of children who have become ill in the
region, said UNICEF spokeswoman Liza Barrie.
Any link between the illnesses and the oral polio vaccine is "completely
incorrect" and "wrong," said WHO official Christine McNabb, who said the
last polio vaccination campaign in the area was completed months ago.
According to McNabb, there may have been confusion between Vitamin A and
the oral polio vaccine, which are both given in oral formulation, and are
often administered together in joint campaigns.
UNICEF is investigating the possibility of a link between liquid doses of
vitamin A that were given to children in the region as part of the third
round of an anti-blindness campaign and the illnesses that have left one
2-year-old child dead and hundreds of children hospitalized. According to
Barrie, there were no problems after the two earlier rounds of the
anti-blindness campaign, and most of the 700 children who became sick have
already been released from the hospital. UNICEF plans to send a team
tomorrow, composed of outside experts and UNICEF officials, to work with
the government and discover the exact cause of the illnesses, Barrie added.
She also refuted the possibility that the vitamin A supply was outdated,
saying the supply had undergone extensive quality control checks (Scott
Hartmann, UN Wire, Nov. 14).
http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/current.asp#contents