Three infants, ages one month to one year old, are reported to have died in Shaheen Muslim Town in Peshwar, Pakistan after receiving the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). Family members said that the health of the children gradually deteriorated after being injected with the vaccine. News reports state that five other children were also adversely affected after getting IPV shots.1 2
Pakistan Health Ministry officials have noted that the only reaction to the IPV vaccine is anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction), which officials claim only occurs immediately after injection.1
Relatives of the deceased children held a protest against public health workers involved in the polio vaccination campaign, accusing them of giving the children what they termed “expired injections.” They demanded the government stop the vaccinations and hold the health officials accountable for the deaths.