Neonate Deaths: Central Team to Submit Report This Week

SRINAGAR: Chairman of National Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI), Saturday said that Central Team would submit its report within a week to Jammu and Kashmir Government. 

The team headed by Prof N.K.Arora had visited Kashmir after neonate deaths in G.B.Panth Hospital allegedly caused by Pentavalent vaccine.

Arora said that though the team has already submitted its preliminary report in which it has given clean chit to Pentavalent but, “the final report which is almost complete would be submitted to Jammu and Kashmir government within a week’s time,” he said.

He said nothing would be kept hidden and the facts would be made to public.

Meanwhile, Family Welfare Director, Dr Baldev Sharma said that they were expecting the final report last week but that has not been submitted yet. “As far my knowledge goes, there would be nothing in Final Report. The expert committee has already assigned the cause of neonate deaths to blood infection and not pentavalent vaccine,” he said.

Sharma further said the claims of G.B.Panth Hospital authorities that Penvalent vaccine was the cause of deaths is based only on suspicion and not on facts. “Finally it is the job of Expert Committee to ascertain the facts and hopefully everything would be in public domain after the Central team submits its report,” Sharma said.   

The pentavalent vaccine simultaneously provides protection against the five life threatening diseases — Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B and Hib (Haemophilus influenza type b). This vaccine, which was recommended by NTAGI in 2008 was introduced in a phased manner since 2011 in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Puducherry, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir and Delhi.

It is worth to mention that a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court seeking ban on its use, which the Court had rejected. 

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