Baby dies at UPHC in Krishnagiri, doctors suspect infanticide in Tamil Nadu

A girl baby died under suspicious circumstances, within 12 hours of birth, at the Shoolagiri Upgraded Primary Health Centre on Tuesday.

Representational Image. (File Photo)

KRISHNAGIRI: A girl baby died under suspicious circumstances, within 12 hours of birth, at the Shoolagiri Upgraded Primary Health Centre on Tuesday. Health department officials suspected it could be female infanticide and loaded lodged a police complaint.

According to police, a 25- year-old woman from Uddanapalli was admitted in the hospital for her third delivery. She has two girl children. She delivered the baby, a female, around 4 am on Tuesday. Around 4. 30 pm, relatives and the woman said the baby died and alleged it could be due to the BCG ( Bacille Calmette - Guerin) vaccine that was administered around 1 pm.

A Health Department official told TNIE, “There was no issue after vaccination administration. Usually, three vaccines BCG, Hepatitis B and OPV will be administered to newborn babies, except for BCG, two vaccines are administered in the morning and the BCG vaccine was given around 1 pm to five newborn babies on Tuesday. Except for this baby, all four infants are in healthy condition, but parents allege vaccination caused the death. The vaccine was administered around 1 pm, and the parents claimed the baby died around 4. 30 pm.”

The official added, “Three doctors in three shifts were monitoring all newborn babies and mothers. They did not find any issue with the deceased baby, which weighed 2. 7 kg at the time of birth. We suspect female infanticide and lodged a complaint with Shoolagiri police.”

The body was sent for autopsy to Hosur GH and the woman was also shifted there. Deputy Director of Health Services V Govindan said that the baby’s death was not due to the vaccine.