Due to vaccines?
Vaccines blamed for death of 2 infants
CEBU - Two babies from Barangay Pajac, Lapu-Lapu City died last Saturday, three days after they were given different vaccines at the barangay health center.
Last Nov. 8, the midwife injected Ghirvaughn Mcreign Limpangog, a threemonth-old boy, with a pentavalent shot; and Ayesha Mae Suson, a four-monthold girl, with a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV). They suffered seizures and a fever soon after, prompting their families to blame the vaccines for their deaths.
However, Lapu-Lapu City Health Officer Rodolfo Berame said the babies died from other causes. “That is fake news. Why fake news? Based on the death certificate, the girl died of acute gastroentiritis with severe dehydration, while the boy died of meningitis,” he said in Cebuano.
Limpangog’s immediate cause of death was “status epilepticus.” “Meningitis” was written in the underlying cause section.
In Suson’s case, her immediate cause of death was “electrolyte imbalance secondary to acute gastroenteritis with severe dehydration.”
The other significant condition that contributed to her death was “pediatric community-acquired pneumonia high risk with hypoxia.”
The two babies both died at 2:20 p.m. at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center last Nov. 11.
Berame said that pentavalent vaccine has no history of serious side effects, which include fever and redness around the injected area. “I think the parents did not tell the truth probably because we do not give vaccines to children who have a fever or who are not feeling well because the vaccine is expensive at P4,000 per shot,” Berame said in Cebuano.
Yesterday, Ariel Igoy, Limpangog’s grandfather, filed a complaint before the Department of Health (DOH) 7. Ariel wants the DOH to investigate the two deaths so these won’t happen to other children in their area.
Whatever the result of the investigation, Ariel said, they will not file a case against the persons involved. He just wants to know what happened.
“I just want the procedure to be corrected because another child might fall victim,” Ariel said in Cebuano. SS-Cebu