Fatal Dose: Infant dies After Being Administered Polio Drops

The family alleged that the child died barely half an hour after being given polio drops by the two volunteers.

A child being administered polio drops. Representational Image.

(Photo: IANS)

A one-and-half-year-old infant died allegedly after being administered polio drops in Ludhiana's Fauji Mohalla. The family, belonging from Agra and on a visit to their relatives in Ludhiana, alleged that the child collapsed barely half an hour after been given the drops.

The drops were given by two Anganwadi workers as a part of a five-day polio drive.

My son was sleeping when two women came saying they were Angandwadi workers and forcefully administered drops to my son. In fact, he was sleeping and the workers woke him up to give him the drops. After an hour, his health deteriorated all of a sudden and we took him to Krishna Hospital, where he died. Either wrong medicine was given or it was given the wrong way.

Ravinder Kumar, father of the deceased, told <i><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/toddler-dies-allegedly-after-being-given-polio-drops/articleshow/60784455.cms">Times of India</a></i>

Tension gripped the neighbourhood since the child's death. The family has reported the incident to the police and are awaiting a probe.

We did not want the workers to give him drops, but they did it forcefully.

Sangeeta, the child’s mother, told <i>TOI</i>

Station House Officer, Model Town, Surinder Chopra, said the cause of the death can be ascertained only after the post-mortem report comes in.

Dr Jasbir Singh, District Immunisation Officer, pointed out that there were other children who were administered the same vaccine and there have been no problems reported from them.

There is no connection between polio drops and the child’s death.

Hardeep Singh Ghai, civil surgeon

Hardeep Singh also said that there is no problem even if a sick child, who is on antibiotics, is given polio drops. “There is a possibility that the child must be suffering from some other problem. Polio drops can never be the reason behind death,” he told The Tribune.

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