Deaths not due to MR vaccine: Central team

State health commissioner P K Parmar said, "Deaths due to MR vaccine occur within two hours of administering the vaccination but these children died long after.”

The State health commissioner said that out of 61 lakh children who were vaccinated, only seven had shown any side effects. (File Photo)

A three-member team of the Central government on Saturday confirmed that the four children, who had died in the state following a Measles-Rubella vaccination drive of the state government, did not die because of side effects of the medicine.

State health commissioner P K Parmar, while confirming the deaths, said, “The team was sent to assess the situation of deaths and to confirm that these deaths were not caused by MR vaccination. Deaths due to MR vaccine occur within two hours of administering the vaccination but these children died long after.”

“The body has an auto-immune system where the reaction to MR vaccine comes in two to four hours, like swelling of throat, drying of mouth, wind pipe getting blocked which all lead to immediate casualty. Our team is always ready with an antidote to neutralise the vaccine in such cases,” Parmar said.

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He said that out of 61 lakh children who were vaccinated, only seven had shown any side effects. These cases, he said, were immediately treated. “These deaths are all related to stomach related ailments like acute gastroenteritis and in no way connected with the vaccination,” he said.

The three member team from the Central government was led by Dr Pradeep Haldar, the deputy commissioner of immunisation, Government of India.

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