In a hard hitting editorial, the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics (IJME) has accused the WHO of promoting Pentavalent vaccine ‘by stating falsely that no adverse event following immunization (AEFI) has ever been reported with the vaccine.’ The journal says this is contrary to facts.
The IJME editorial by Dr. Jacob Puliyel, head of pediatrics at St Stephens Hospital in New Delhi, is based on his detailed investigation into the deaths of children in Bhutan, Sri Lanka, India and Vietnam following use of Pentavalent vaccine.
The IJME editorial says that On 4 May 2013 the Ministry of Health of Viet Nam suspended Quinvaxem — the Pentavalent combination used in that country — after 12 deaths and 9 other non-fatal serious adverse events. According to local news reports, all the babies who died were in good health prior to vaccination and had serious trouble breathing before dying shortly afterwards.
By the end of 2013, with GAVI support, pentavalent vaccine will have reached a projected 200 million children in 72 developing countries… By February 2013 this amounted to a total of 550 million doses shipped. Following its replenishment meeting in London June 2011 GAVI is now committed to immunising a further 224 million children with pentavalent vaccine by 2015.