Twelve children – all of them below five years of age – were given sanitiser instead of oral polio vaccine in a village in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra, about 700 km from Mumbai. They have been admitted to a state-run hospital, where their condition was said to be stable.
Yavatmal Collector MD Singh visited the hospital and enquired about the condition of the children. Three healthcare workers involved in the negligence will face action.
The incident took place on Sunday at a primary healthcare centre in the village when the pulse polio vaccination drive was being carried out for children below five years of age. One of the children complained of vomiting and discomfort. Also, it was reported that the village sarpanch checked the drops and found them to be hand sanitisers and not polio doses.
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All the children who were given sanitiser drops have been admitted to the Government Medical College in Yavatmal, and are under observation.
Three healthcare workers – a doctor, an anganwadi worker and an ASHA volunteer – were present at the time of the incident, and an inquiry is being conducted. Parents in the area demanded action against the persons responsible.
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