Pentavalent vaccine is safe,assures IAP

Deaths were reported from Sri Lanka,Bhutan,India,and Vietnam,allegedly after the vaccine was administered. However,investigations by local governments and WHO have demonstrated no causal link between pentavalent vaccination and the reported infant deaths. In Sri Lanka and Bhutan,where vaccine was suspended due to reports of infant deaths,the programme has been reinstated following the investigations.

The investigation reports and expert reviews by WHO’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety is quite reassuring,although the causalities could not be ascertained completely in all the cases due to non-availability of complete information.

Like all injectable vaccines,some adverse reactions do occur with pentavalent vaccines. The common reactions are fever,swelling and redness at the spot where it has been administered.

IAP maintains that the vaccine provides several health benefits related to the ability to protect against five major health problems in a go. This vaccine has been given to millions of children in more than 180 countries and its safety profile has been well documented in India and elsewhere through clinical studies.