CHANDIGARH: Vaccines available at most of the rural dispensaries, primary health centers and hospitals in Punjab are either outdated or contaminated.
Investigations reveal that two of the important vaccines Tetanus Toxoid and Polio (oral) presently available at most of the health centers in the State were either outdated or had lost their potency because of the non-maintenance of cold chain.
The cold chain is considered essential to maintain these vaccines before they are injected.
The polio vaccine imported from Yugoslavia under UNICEF and WHO program and available at most of the rural dispensaries, primary health centers and even hospitals in the State is outdated. The expiry date of the batch of vaccine supplied last was September, 1989.
On each vial of the polio drops, it is mentioned that in case, the vaccine is maintained at 4° C, it will expire in September, 1989 and in case it was preserved at 20° C. As a result the vaccine which has lost its potency is still being administered to newly born children, besides, reaction, which could prove fatal, the administering of an outdated vaccine will give false protection to the child that he is immunized against polio. There may be hundreds and hundreds of children who have been administered this outdated vaccine in the State.
The case with TT vaccine is no different.
Some of the samples collected by this correspondent show presence of white thick blots. The vaccine is administered to expecting mothers, school going children at the age of five years and again 10 years, besides those who receive injuries in accidents or while playing on grassy pitches.
Giving of contaminated TT vaccine could react and cause death of the patient besides keeping the patient under the false impression that he was protected against Tetanus Toxoid.
The TT vaccine is supplied by the Kasauli institute.
One of the important reasons for its contamination and loss of potency has been the failure of the Health Department in maintaining cold chain for its preservance.
The Punjab Health department has an independent refrigeration unit located at Jalandhar, In case of a breakdown of a refrigerator at any of the rural dispensaries, primary health center or hospital in the State, the Medical Officer concerned has to inform the Chief Medical Officer, who in tum writes to the refrigeration unit for repairing the machine.
In case the mechanic, who comes from Jalandhar, finds a major repair, he would prepare an estimate which would be approved in routine before the machine is put back to operation again. All this time the vaccines and other drugs which are supposed to be maintained at a particular temperature remain stored in the non-functional refrigerator.
The other reason is that after the supply of vaccines, instructions are sent at regular intervals to medical officers to achieve their targets of immunization. As a result even outdated and contaminated vaccines are given to patients.
The department also does not get the potency test conducted on vaccines picked at random from different dispensaries, health centers and hospitals. The test could be conducted at the Kasauli institute which was not very far. But the practice of the random potency test had been discarded long ago.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 12, 1990
