Hyderabad: A three-month-old baby boy died hours after receiving polio drops in Sangareddy district.
The incident occurred in Kangti Mandal. The baby’s inconsolable parents alleged that their son died within 20 minutes of receiving the polio drops.
“When we returned, our baby started vomiting. He was not drinking milk and continued to cry,” the mother said.
The parents decided to leave their firstborn at a relative’s house. However, by the time they returned, the baby’s body was swollen. “All his hands and legs were swollen. We rushed him to the hospital, where the doctors could not save him,” the aggrieved mother said.
District health officials on Monday said the death was most likely caused by aspiration leading to asphyxia and was not linked to the immunisation.
Health officials said the mother had given the baby bottled milk after returning home. The on-duty ASHA worker advised the parents to take the infant to PHC Kangti for medical attention, but they instead took him to a private doctor around 2 pm.
Officials further noted that 108 children were vaccinated at the same booth with the same vaccine, and no adverse events were reported among them.
The state government is conducting a special pulse polio drive for children below the age of five years across Hyderabad, Sangareddy Rangareddy, Medchal, Hanamkonda and Warangal districts. So far, 1635432 have been administered polio drops as of Sunday, October 12.
According to officials, nearly 94.4 percent of the children have been vaccinated. The vaccination drive will continue for another two days.
(This copy has been updated with new information)
Follow on Twitter | Edited by Veena Nair | 
