QUETTA: Amid unconfirmed reports that five children of Qila Saifullah died after having been administered measles vaccines during a government campaign, Balochistan Health Minister Rehmat Saleh Baloch ordered an inquiry on Friday.

The children had been brought to the Civil Hospital in Quetta on Thursday when their condition deteriorated, reportedly after having been vaccinated.

One child died in the hospital on Thursday, another a few hours later and three on Friday.

Aged between two and nine years, the children belonged to an extended family and their parents claimed that they fell ill soon after receiving the vaccination.

But the minister rejected the claim that the deaths had been caused by the vaccination. He said at a press conference a committee, headed by the additional health secretary, would investigate the matter.

Balochistan’s Health Secretary Noorul Haq Baloch, Director General of Health Dr Farooq Azam Jan, Dr Ayub and senior officials of the health department also attended the press conference.

Saleh Baloch said initial investigation suggested that the children were suffering from fatal diseases, adding that samples of stool and urine had been taken and laboratory tests would determine the cause of their death.

The minister said action would be taken if anyone was found guilty of negligence.

He said another 18 children in the Union Council of Batuzai, to which the five dead belonged, had also been vaccinated during the campaign but they were in good health. Only seven of them had suffered from loose motion and nausea for some time, he added.

He rejected a perception that the vaccine was outdated and said it had been provided to Pakistan and across the world by the World Health Organisation.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2015

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