Faisalabad girl dies after being administered alleged wrong measles vaccine

Health department forms committee to investigate incident

FAISALABAD: A one-year-old girl died in a village in Faisalabad after she was administered allegedly the wrong injection during the measles vaccination programme on Tuesday.

A mobile team from the health department administered the measles vaccine to Maryam in Chak No 139-GB. However, soon after administering the injection, the condition of the minor deteriorated and she fell unconscious.

The girl’s family immediately took her to a local health unit where the doctor provided her first aid but her condition did not improve.

The doctor at the facility referred her to Civil Hospital Samundri for further treatment but the girl breathed her last before reaching the hospital.

Meanwhile, UNICEF officials claimed that the child died due to 'other reasons and not because of the measles vaccine.'

After the incident, health officials, including District Health Officer Dr Muhammad Yusuf, WHO Consultant Dr Siraj and others reached the victim's house and met with her family where they offered their condolences.

While speaking to Express News, District Health Officer Dr Muhammad Yusuf said, “It is true that the girl died after being given the vaccine but the same vaccine was also given to four other children from the same family and they all are fine and healthy.”

The government has constituted a committee comprising of officials from UNICEF, WHO and the health department to investigate the matter.