JAJPUR: A woman of Patunia panchayat on Sunday lodged a complaint with Dharmasala police alleging that her three-month-old baby boy died after being administered a faulty pentavalent vaccine. The complainant, Baby Sethy of Sankha village, alleged that she had taken her baby to the Anganwadi centre at Fazilpur in Patpur panchayat for pentavalent vaccination on July 20. After measuring the baby’s weight, the Anganwadi worker and ANM administered the vaccine and also gave pulse polio drop.
“After I returned home, my son started crying inconsolably. He also had a high fever. Apprehending that the fever had something to do with the vaccine, I took him again to the anganwadi centre. The ANM said the baby was crying because of the pain caused by the vaccine shot. She also said the fever would remain for 48 hours and advised me not to give any medicine to my son,” said Sethy.
When the fever persisted even after two days, Sethy reportedly admitted her son to the community health centre at Badachana on July 22. The baby was later shifted to Sishu Bhawan in Cuttack. Finally, the baby boy was admitted to a private nursing home in Cuttack where he succumbed during treatment on July 29 night.
In her complaint, Sethy blamed the anganwadi and ASHA workers besides the ANM for her son’s death. Based on her FIR, the police registered a case and exhumed the newborn’s body from the burial ground and sent it for autopsy. Dharmasala IIC Rakesh Tripathy said the cause of the baby’s death can be ascertained after the autopsy report is out. Further investigation is underway.