Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:
(a) whether more than 10,600 children died in post-immunisation complications in various parts of the country during the last ten years;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether any Committee has been constituted to enquire into the cause of death of these children;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the total number of deaths of children registered in various States during the last ten years, State/UT-wise?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND
FAMILY WELFARE
(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)
(a) & (b): No, it is not correct that more than 10,600 children died in post immunization complications in various parts of the country during last 10 years. As per the direct reporting of serious/severe individual Adverse Events Following Immunization cases including deaths by States/UTs to AEFI secretariat /Govt. of India about 1713 children died following immunization from 2010-11 to 2017-18 (as on 31-12-17). States/UTs wise details of numbers of deaths reported following immunization from 2010-11 to 2017-18 is given in annexure.
While vaccines are safe, sometimes there are adverse events reported following vaccinations (as with all drugs) which may not necessarily be causally associated with Immunization. These are reported, investigated and monitored by National Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) Surveillance System which is part of the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). Every year, 39 crore (approx.) doses of various vaccines are administered to the children under Universal Immunization Program.
Contd...........
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(c) & (d): Yes, under AEFI Surveillance System to investigate and assess any AEFI cases including cause of death, there are District AEFI Committee at district level, State AEFI Committee at State level and National AEFI Committee at National level. The members of the committee comprise of paediatricians, epidemiologists, pharmacologists, pathologists etc. and representatives from Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), Drug Control Department and local professional bodies like Indian Medical Association (IMA), Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) etc. Most of the death cases analysed by these committee has found that they are not causally related to vaccines used in the Universal Immunization programme.
(e): The total number of children deaths reported under AEFI Surveillance System from 2010-11 till 2017-18 (as on December 17) in various States /UTs-wise is given in Annexure.