A gynecologist is planning to sue the Centers for Disease Control over the death of his seven-year-old son after receiving the A (H1N1) flu virus vaccine, reports said yesterday. The CDC denied there was a link between the two and said it would continue its present inoculation campaign.
The Taichung boy, surnamed Liu, did not have any history of medical problems before being immunized at school on Nov. 19, said Chang Yao-tsung, an opposition Democratic Progressive Party member of the Taichung City Council speaking on behalf of the child's parents.
His health started deteriorating the following day, with red blotches appearing on the sole of his feet.
The boy's father, also surnamed Liu, took him to a local private clinic where he was told the problem might be a skin disease or an allergy provoked by the vaccine.
The father thought the rashes might disappear after taking medicine for two weeks, but instead they spread all over his body, according to Chang.
On Nov. 28, Liu also contacted the CDC, which denied the problems were caused by the vaccine, Chang said.
Desperate for a solution, Liu checked his son into a hospital and transferred him twice, looking for more tests and expensive treatments. Some doctors said there was a problem with his son's immune system.
The seven-year-old officially died of sepsis Monday, more than a month after being inoculated.
Since the boy held United States citizenship, the American Institute in Taiwan also sent a representative to talk to the father and provide assistance if requested, Chang said.
CDC Director-General Steve Kuo said its experts had investigated the case and come to the conclusion that the boy's death was not related to the vaccine.
He said the CDC would respect whatever decision the boy's father took, filing for compensation or taking legal action.
A total of almost 4.8 million people had been vaccinated so far, according to CDC statistics.
Including the boy, a total of four deaths were recorded following inoculation, including men aged 82 and 50 respectively who had difficult health histories, and a high school student, reports said.
Five pregnant women were reported with problems ranging from miscarriage to a stillborn infant.
Of the 331 lighter cases, 43 percent were dizzy after being inoculated, 20 percent registered a fever, 18 percent felt ill, 17 percent had a headache and 11 percent vomited, according to CDC data.
Resource:
Taiwan News, Doctor to sue CDC over child's death after H1N1 vaccination, Staff Writer, Page 2, http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1139125&lang=eng_news&cate_img=logo_taiwan&cate_rss=TAIWAN_eng2009-12-23 12:00 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment