A four-month-old baby girl passed away shortly after receiving the pentavalent vaccine, prompting health authorities to launch an investigation into the matter. The infant’s body samples have been forwarded to the Medical Research Institute for further tests, as revealed by the health authorities.
Dr. Prabhat Weravatta, the Director of Kuliapitiya Teaching Hospital, provided details regarding the unfortunate incident. He explained that the child had received the pentavalent vaccine at a health clinic on Saturday (15) and experienced complications later that same night.
Upon experiencing complications, the parents rushed the baby to Kuliapitiya Hospital. However, the child had already passed away before admission, according to Dr. Weravatta.
The cause of the baby’s death remains uncertain, as a post-mortem examination conducted at Kurunegala Hospital failed to determine a definitive cause. The hospital director stated that the post-mortem result yielded an open verdict, leading to the decision of sending the body samples to the Medical Research Institute for further analysis.
The pentavalent vaccine, designed to protect against five life-threatening diseases including diphtheria, whooping cough, pneumonia, tetanus, and hepatitis B, is widely administered to infants as part of routine immunization programs.
