News of recent deaths of 2 infants in Lapu Lapu City, Cebu has been making the rounds through social media, blaming vaccination as the infants’ cause of death. However, an initial investigation conducted by the DOH didn’t find any connection between the infants’ death and the pentavalent vaccine that the infants were provided in a barangay health center.
The infants’ health allegedly worsened after being vaccinated
The families of three-month-old Ghirvaughn Limpangog and four-month-old Ayesha Suson blamed the vaccine as their infants’ cause of death, citing that the infants’ health worsened after they were given the vaccination.
However, Lapu-Lapu City Health officer Dr. Rodolfo Berame said that if the Oral Polio Vaccine and Pentavalent Vaccine were indeed to blame for the death of the infants, the symptoms should have already manifested right after the first immunization and not after the 2nd immunization on November 8.
VSMMC chief of hospital Dr. Gerardo Aquino added that the infants’ deaths “cannot be attributed to the immunization.”
Investigations are still ongoing regarding the deaths of the infants
According to Dr. Ramon Najarro, chair of VSMMC’s Department of Pediatrics, Ayesha was already suffering from severe dehydration when she was taken to the VSMMC. She was initially diagnosed with moderate dehydration in another hospital in Lapu Lapu City.
Najarro adds, “To the point that the patient was already in Hypovolemic Shock or circulatory failure. Immediately, the patient was put into fluid resuscitation. Unfortunately, the patient eventually deteriorated and was put in life support including mechanical ventilator.”
“We believed the second patient also was already in multiple organ failure besides the circulatory failure,” he adds.
Regardless, investigations will still be under way, and private practitioners with expertise in different fields will be included in the committee.
“This will be a collaborative investigation based on the data given today. Based on the findings from our physicians in the hospital today from the data of our resident officer from Lapu-Lapu City, will also be collaborated with whatever laboratory and clinical examinations that they will require later,” DOH – 7 Director Jaime Bernadas shared.
“We are not closing the case. We forward the matter to the committee… They will determine in finality if what really has been the cause of the death of the patients,” he adds.
Source: philstar.com
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