Defective vaccines have reportedly killed four children and caused illness in dozens of others. China’s Ministry of Health is working with local authorities to investigate the safety of the vaccines and what exactly happened to the children in the country’s northern Shanxi province.
The vaccines in question were designed to give children protection from diseases like encephalitis, hepatitis B, and rabies among others. The deaths of the children occurred from 2008 until present. Those who died were between the ages of 8 months and 3 years old, according to the China Economic Times. Right before their deaths after being inoculated, the children experienced fever and seizures.
Of the 74 children who became ill, some of them even developed the diseases the vaccines were supposed to protect against.
One former Chinese health official speculated on what could have caused the vaccines to have such an adverse effect. One possibility, he stated, was that the vaccines were stored at the wrong temperature. Others have speculated that the manufacturer did not have the expertise needed to make the vaccines.
The Ministry of Health has commented on this most recent health scandal, assuring the public that it is addressing the matter with the utmost seriousness. They said: “We have immediately begun an investigation and demanded the Shanxi health authorities report as soon as possible.”
Many have pointed toward food and drug safety as one of the major obstacles to child health in China. It can be difficult to track the safety of products across regions and borders, all throughout the production chain. In September 2008, infants were poisoned by tainted baby formula powder produced by Sanlu and other companies. The formula was tainted by melamine—an industrial plastic. In the case of the tainted milk powder, nearly 13 000 infants were hospitalized and six died. In a previous incident, milk for infants had been watered down in a similar attempt to make the protein content more pronounced, resulting in numerous child deaths from malnutrition.
Otherwise, the World Health Organization has reported that 99% of Chinese children safely receive their vaccines for polio, while 97% receive vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. These are some of the most critical vaccines for children, greatly improving their well-being.