Telangana infant dies after polio drops; death likely due to asphyxia, not vaccine: Officials

A three-month-old boy in Sangareddy district of Telangana died hours after receiving pulse polio drops, raising initial concerns over the vaccine. District health officials on Monday said the death was most likely caused by aspiration leading to asphyxia and was not linked to the immunisation.

The infant’s parents had alleged that their son died within 20 minutes of receiving the polio drops. Health officials, however, denied the claim.

The baby, a resident of Bheemra village in Kangti mandal, was brought to the local pulse polio booth by his parents around noon on Sunday.

He was administered the polio drops and kept under observation until 12.30 pm, during which he remained normal with no complaints, according to Kangti Primary Health Centre (PHC) medical officer.

Around 1 pm, the parents returned to the booth reporting incessant crying and one episode of vomiting, a preliminary report said.

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.

The private doctor examined the baby and immediately informed the PHC medical officer, who rushed to the clinic.

The officer observed bluish discolouration of the lips, frothing from the nose, and absence of respiratory movements. The local doctor declared the infant dead at around 2.15 pm.

“The doctor who conducted the post-mortem examination believed that the death of the baby was most probably caused by laryngeal spasm secondary to aspiration, leading to death. The stomach contents have been sent for examination, and the final report is awaited,” the report said.

Officials further noted that 108 children were vaccinated at the same booth with the same vaccine, and no adverse events were reported among them.

“Based on the available history, it is presumed that the cause of death was most likely due to aspiration leading to asphyxia, and not related to the vaccine. The final report will be submitted after receipt of the post-mortem report,” the officials added.

The pulse polio campaign is currently being conducted in six districts across Telangana.