National

Probe begins into death of infants

GUWAHATI: A five-member team of Ministry of Health arrived in the State on Thursday and began its investigation into death of four infants in lower Assam’s Baksa district following administration of measles vaccines on Wednesday.

The State government, however, denied allegations that the infants’ deaths were caused by botched vaccines. The government has announced ex-gratia of Rs. one lakh to parent of each of the four infants, who died after administration of the vaccines in four different villages under Nimua Public Health Centre of the district.

State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told journalists here that the State government was sure that death had not been caused by measles vaccines administered to them.

Dr. Sarma said he had consulted at least 50 pediatricians in this regard and each of them had categorically told him that vaccines could not cause death as they were not poisonous and they were meant to protect children. He also said the measles vaccines were prepared by the Human Biological Institute at Hyderabad, and they had no past history of causing death to human beings.

Apart from the team deputed by the Ministry of Health, the State government has also rushed its own three-member team headed by Head of Paediatrics Department of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital J.N. Sarma to the district.

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