Four-month old infant dies after administering vaccine

A four-month-old baby girl had died after administration of the pentavalent vaccine, according to health officials. 

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Kuliyapitiya Teaching Hospital Director Dr. Prabhath Werawatte said the baby had been administered with the pentavalent vaccine on Saturday (15) from the Hettipola MOH office and she had developed an illness on the night of the same day.

“Subsequently, the parents brought her to the Kuliyapitiya Hospital. However, the baby had died on admission,” Dr Werawatte said.

When asked for the cause of the death, the Hospital Director said the body was sent to the Kurnegala Hospital where a post-mortem was conducted in order to determine the cause.

“However, since the cause of the death could not be ascertained in the post-mortem, the samples of the body have been sent to the Medical Research Institute,” he said.

"The cause of death can't be attributed to the vaccine until the investigations are over," Dr Werawatte added.

Pentavalent vaccine provides protection to a child from five life-threatening diseases – Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B and Hib. (Sheain Fernandopulle)