Sanitizer Given To 12 Children Instead Of Polio Vaccine: Maharashtra

12 children given sanitizers instead of polio vaccine in Maharashtra

In a case of blatant incident 12 children were given hand sanitizer drops in place of oral polio vaccine drops in a village in the district of Yavatmal, Maharashtra on January 31 said an official. The affected children were taken to a government hospital and all were under the age of five years. The condition of the children are now slated to be stable, said the district official and added that for this error three health care workers will have to face an action.

At Bhanabora PHC (Primary Health Center) in Kapsikopri village the incident took place when the National Pulse Polio vaccination drive for the children under the age of 1-5 was underway. The CEO of Yavatmal Zilla Parishad, Shrikrishna Panchal said that there were two drops of sanitizer given to the children instead of polio drops and following that one of the children complained of uneasiness and vomiting. Panchal said that all children who were given sanitizer drops were later admitted to a Government Medical College in Yavatmal. The condition of the children is now stable and is kept under observation. At the time of the incident preliminary health workers, a doctor, anganwadi sevika and an ASHA worker were present at the PHC where the incident took place.

Another official said that the incident caught light when the drops given to the children were checked by the village sarpanch and found out that it was hand sanitizers and not polio vaccine drops. The parents of the children are under a shock and are demanding action against the person responsible for the lapse.