[e-drug] Japanese encephalitis vaccine

["Subal C Basak" <cdl_scbasak@sancharnet.in>]

E-DRUG: Japanese encephalitis vaccine
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Dear E-druggers,

The following news story has telecasted in the India TV news channel NDTV 24X7 dated July 25, 2006. The story is also in the NDTV website. URL: (http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?id=90630&frmsrch=1&txtsrch=chinese+vaccine+kills+10+children+in+UP) 

Its about untested Chinese vaccine for encephalitis caused death of 10 children in Uttar Pradesh in India. Its concerns are open for discussion.

Subal C Basak, MPharm, FIC, PGPT (BELGIUM)
Reader in Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy
ANNAMALAI UNIVERSITY, Annamalainagar 608 002 (TN)
Phone (O): +914144-239738; (R): +914144-238556
Email : cdl_scbasak@sancharnet.in , scbasak@sify.com  

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NDTV News

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 (Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh): At least ten children, who received a Chinese vaccine for the deadly Japanese encephalitis, have died in Uttar Pradesh (UP). Another 102 were brought in unconscious with high fever and respiratory problems. A staggering 800 children died last year because of the deadly encephalitis, which struck largely in Uttar Pradesh. Stung by criticism that it had done nothing to prevent the epidemic, the government this year had imported 135 lakh doses of a Chinese vaccine. Out of which over half was given to UP alone. However, the government did not carry out any clinical trials or local studies to establish how safe the vaccine is. This is a clear breach of its own rules. "We saw a lot of adverse reactions. Adverse reactions are known but no deaths were reported. I don't know why so many deaths have happened. To my mind, it doesn't occur to be a safe vaccine," said Dr A K Rathi, HoD, Medical College, Gorakhpur.

Not safe

Doctors, who treated children with vaccine-related complications a week after they were immunized in mid-May, say it is far from safe. "I am not happy the way the vaccination was done. We don't know the immunity level that was there. After last year's epidemic, we should have tested that, otherwise how will we know how effective the vaccine is?" added Dr Rathi. Besides UP, 11 deaths were reported in four other states where the vaccine was used. The centre says the decision to import the Chinese vaccine was taken only after international authorities led by the World Health Organization cleared it.

But the WHO letter only said the vaccine is a good one and it does not use the vaccine in its own immunisation programmes. The health ministry insists the vaccine can't be termed unsafe. "One death is confirmed. But the others could be coincidental. I'm not expanding the programme," said P K Hota, Union Health Secretary. The government didn't want to be caught on the wrong foot and moved fast to launch the JE campaign. Their intentions may have been right but the shortcuts have cast a long shadow on the programme.

[The WHO page on this disease is at:
http://www.who.int/vaccine_research/diseases/japanese_encephalitis/en/
The vaccine is discussed at:
http://www.who.int/biologicals/areas/vaccines/jap_encephalitis/en/
300 million doses of the Chinese vaccine have already been produced, WHO says. 
Any JE vaccine expert among the E-druggers?
Are the reported deaths in India confirmed adverse events in the JE vaccination campaign?
Wilbert Bannenberg, moderator]