A two-month-old baby girl in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap died on early July 8 after having a five-in-one Quinvaxem vaccine shot, marking the fourth death in Vietnam allegedly linked to the popular vaccine since the beginning of 2014. Local health authorities said an autopsy showed fluid that smelled like milk was found in Tram’s lungs, but the final conclusion has not yet been made, the Ministry of Health said on July 9. Vo Thi Bao Tram is among 36 infants who received Quinvaxem shots at the Truong Xuan Commune Medical Center on July 7. Six hours after being given the shot, Tram developed a slight fever. Her parents took her back to the medical center, where she was given a fever reducer and sent home. But her condition didn’t improve. At around 1:30 am on July 8, she was rushed to the medical center after turning purple. The infant died shortly after her arrival. Three of the 36 infants developed fever after the shots. Two of the three recovered after being given a fever-reducer. Quinvaxem is a combination vaccine that protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenza type B infections. The Ministry of Health announced the temporary suspension of Quinvaxem on May 4 of 2013 following an increase in the number of reports adverse events following immunization (AEFI) linked to Quinvaxem immunization and, in most instances, oral poliovirus vaccine, including the death of nine infants between November 2012 and March 2013. The ministry, however, unexpectedly resumed the use of the vaccine six months later after the World Health Organization affirmed it safe. The WHO pre-qualified drug was introduced globally in 2006 by the Netherlands-based bio-pharmaceutical company Crucell. It has been pushed in low-income countries, as it costs around VND77,000 ($3.6) per dose. In Vietnam, the vaccine has been distributed by the Berna Biotech Korea Corp. for free since June 2010 as part of a program run by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization through UNICEF. Vietnam administers around 4.5 million Quinvaxem shots to 1.5 million children every year. The ratio of Quinvaxem vaccination among local children dropped to 57% last year. (Tuoi Tre – Youth Jul 10)
