Death of infant in Bolinao probed
LINGAYEN—A probe team has been sent by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) to Bolinao to investigate the cause of death of a one and a half-month baby boy who allegedly died after having been vaccinated by a midwife in a Rural Health Unit (RHU).
Dr. Anna Ma. Teresa de Guzman, provincial health officer, said the team’s initial findings on Sept. 15 indicate that it was not allergic reaction to the series of vaccinations that led to the infant’s death as he died 12 hours after the vaccination.
The boy’s parents, Marilyn and Ruel Catabay, the baby was administered OPV, BCG , Rotavirus, and Pentavalent simultaneously.
The team is now looking into other factors such as how the midwife gave the vaccination, whether the body part where the vaccine was administered was correct, and if the midwife checked first the condition of the baby, among others.
“But what the probe team initially saw was the midwife followed the right procedures,” De Guzman said.
The boy’s parents sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation for an autopsy of their child’s cadaver for a possible legal suit against the midwife.
De Guzman said part of the vaccine in the vial will also be sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City for further examination.
De Guzman noted that this is not the first time such an incident happened, citing a case in Mangaldan where the child was found to have died due to an allergic reaction to the vaccination.—Eva Visperas
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
