FAISALABAD, Nov 30 The district administration seems bent on hushing up the issue of three infants' death due to administration of spurious vaccination - an allegation confirmed by the chemical examination report.

Sources told Dawn that a blame game had ensued as the vaccinators were claiming that doctors had got the report in their favour. The doctors criticised the district administration and demanded action against its delinquent officials.

Three toddlers -- Areeba and Habeeba (twins), daughters of Hajvery Town resident Baboo Mahmood - and Haseeb, son of Ramzan, fell ill immediately after they were administered measles vaccination on Aug 8 last. Brought to the Allied Hospital, the children underwent treatment but could not survive.

The loss of lives sparked protest, with the family and neighbours of the children blocking main Jamia Chishtia Chowk to traffic by placing bodies on road. The Sargodha Road police registered a case against Ghaffar, Shahzad and a woman helper.

The district administration sent the organs of the children to the chemical examiner of Punjab the same day to ascertain the cause of death. The chemical examination report (1529-PV) was finalised on Sept 29 after the bacteriologist completed his report (829-FH) on Sept 24.

The report of twin sisters was dispatched to Dr Kishwar Naheed, demonstrator of the Forensic Medicine Department of the Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad and Dr Javaid Iqbal (of the same college) gave his opinion on the report of Haseeb.

Dr Iqbal concluded “Keeping in view the circumstances of the death, hospital record, reports from chemical examiner, bacteriologist and finding of postmortem examination, I am of the opinion that death in this case occurred due to toxic shock syndrome (TSS) as a result of injection of contaminated measles vaccination.”

Dr Naheed also attributed the death of three infants to TSS. She did not make a mention of contaminated vaccination.

Sources said some officials after being informed of the report had been trying to persuade the forensic demonstrators to refrain from terming the vaccination contaminated. They said two doctors finalised their report (119/PMU/FM/PMC) on Nov 25, a month after the report of the chemical examiner, because of pressure.

The situation was even more embarrassing for the health department officials who had claimed that the children died of gastroenteritis. Water samples of the area were also collected to give a false colouring to the case but, sources said, water was found fit for human consumption.

They said office-bearers of the Vaccinators' Welfare Federation had convened a meeting in connivance with the district administration officials and it was decided that doctors would be held responsible for deaths.

On the other hand, the Pakistan Medical Association and the Young Doctors Association expressed their dismay saying the district administration was pointing fingers at the doctors to cover up its negligence. It should rather give exemplary punishment to those responsible for the children's death.

They said poisonous vaccination caused the TSS, which had been confirmed by the forensic report.

They warned the district government of protest if it tried to falsely implicate them in the case.

People were not ready to get their children vaccinated against tuberculosis and measles in many localities, claimed the doctors who added that the district administration's failure to take appropriate measures would have far-reaching repercussions.