CHENNAI: A health ministry team from New Delhi Friday investigated at Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu the deaths of four infants after they were administered the measles vaccine.
The death of the children Wednesday caused a national uproar that led to Health Minister Anbumoni Ramadoss's suspending all measles inoculations in the country.
According to an official spokesperson, a five-member team from the union health ministry led by Additional Director General Shiv Lal, who is also the director of National Institute of Communicable Diseases, examined the post mortem reports of the four infants and interviewed health workers.
"The others in the team interviewed parents who lost their babies to understand symptoms of the sudden seizure that led to the deaths," he said, adding the team would also meet Tamil Nadu Minister For Health M.R.K. Panneerselvam.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has announced ex-gratia payment of Rs.300,000 to each of the families that lost a child.
Although the state and central governments have ruled out any inherent defect in the vaccines, the entire batch manufactured by a public sector company in Hyderabad has been sent to Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh for further tests.
