Children die of faulty administration of vaccine

TARINKOT (SW): At least five children have died in Uruzgan province allegedly due to faulty administration of vaccine against Measles.

Dr. Ahmad Jan, deputy minister at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), has confirmed the incident. He told Salam Watandar that the incident occurred in Gezab district of the province, and eight more affected children are under treatment. The MoPH has sent a team of experts to visit the area, and report facts from there, he said.

The deputy minister said vaccine against this contagious disease is administered through a syringe, and it is likely that might not be done properly which has led to the death of children. Dr. Ahmad Jan has underlined the need for thorough investigations in this case.

Dr. Mohammad Dawood Altaf, representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Afghanistan has expressed concerns over the incident. He has said team of independent experts should also probe it.

This is the first incident of the sort in Uruzgan province.

ENDS