BAHAWALPUR: A team probing into deaths of two infants in Jhandi union council of Khairpur Tamewali tehsil found no evidence of anti-polio vaccine administered to the babies being expired and causing the tragic incident on Oct 9.

The probe team was constituted by the Punjab government after Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif took notice of the incident.

The team prepared the report after undertaking a two-day visit to the Jhandi UC and submitted it to the Punjab government for forwarding it to the chief minister.

Bahawalpur District Health Officer Dr Saeed Asghar told Dawn on Monday that the report also declared the anti-polio vaccine potent and suitable for administration to the infants in the area.

Quoting the report, he said the two infants -- Qasim and Sakina -- died of de-hydration following severe gastroenteritis.

Team finds anti-polio vaccine potent

His said the probe team found five out of seven water samples collected from Jhandi UC contaminated.

He said the five infants admitted to the Bahawal Victoria Hospital after the incident had been discharged from the hospital after being cured.

PRIZES: State Minister for Education and Professional Training Baleeghur Rehman on Monday distributed cash prizes and certificates among the position-holders of BA, BSc and BCom examinations 2015, of the Islamia University.

On the occasion, the minister said the government had doubled Rs40 billion allocation for higher education made in 2013 and now it was Rs80 billion.

He said for the first time a Rs50 million mega project for Islamia Uuniversity had been approved for the construction of department of management science and two hostels.

Earlier, Islamia Uuniversity Vice-chancellor Prof Dr Qaisar Mushtaq in his welcome address shed light on various measures taken by him for the campuses’ development and academic excellence.

Published in Dawn, October 13th , 2015

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