Damoh (MP): Four infants have died after
anti-measles vaccine was administered to them in Madhya
Pradesh, following which a nurse was arrested by police and
charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
An Auxiliary Nurse and Mid-wife (ANM), Durga Tiwari, who
had administered the vaccine to the infants, was booked
under IPC Section 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not
amounting to murder) after her arrest, officials said on Sunday.
Nine-month-old Arman Vishwakarma, who was being treated
with 11 other critically ill children, breathed his last this
morning at the district hospital here to become the fourth
victim.
Three others - Gaurav Vishwakarma (nine months), Karnika
Thakur (11 months) and Rohini (13 months) - died yesterday, a
day after they were administered measles vaccine by the health
department at Anganwadi centres.
These centres are run by State Women and Child
Development Department.
Besides, District Vaccination Programme in-charge Dr
Anupam Kulshetra and Vaccine Depot in-charge ANM Saraswati Nair
have been suspended, they added.
The action came after Madhya Pradesh Health Department
Director A N Mittal along with his team reached here and
inquired about the matter.
Preliminary reports had said that the nurse had
apparently carried the vaccines home in a thermos flask and
stored it in a refrigerator overnight before bringing it back
in thermos and distributing it.
The team also met victims in the hospital, officials said.
Mittal said strict against will be taken against those
responsible for the incident.
Madhya Pradsh Water Resources, Housing and Environment
Minister Jayant Malaiya today visited the victims in the
hospital and met the family members of the deceased at their
residence. Financial assistance of Rs 10,000 was given to each
of the victims.
PTI
