Lok Sabha Question No. 2379 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-09
Subject: Post Immunisation Children Deaths
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: NAGARAJAN P., K. GOPAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2379 TO BE ANSWERED ON 9 TH MARCH, 2018

## POST IMMUNISATION CH ILDREN DEATHS

## 2379. SHRI P. NAGARAJAN: DR. K. GOPAL:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether more than 10,600 children died in post - immunisation complications in various parts of the country during the last ten years;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether any  Committee  has  been  constituted  to  enquire  into  the  cause  of  death  of  t children;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the total number of deaths of children registered in various States during the last State/UT - wise?

## ANSWER THE M INISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a)  &  (b) : No , it  is  not  correct  that  more  than  10,600  children  died  in  post  immuniza complications in various parts of the country during last 10 years. As per the direct re serious/severe  individual  Adverse  Events  Following  Immunization  cases  including  d eaths  by States/UTs to AEFI secretariat /Govt. of India about 1713 children died following immuniz from  2010 - 11  to  2017 - 18  (as  on  31 - 12- 17).  States/UTs  wise  details  of  numbers  of  deaths reported following immunization from 2010 - 11 to 2017 - 18 is given in annexure.

While  vaccines  are  safe,  sometimes  there  are  adverse  events  reported  follow vaccinations  (as  with  all  drugs)  which  may  not  necessarily  be  causally  associated Immunization.  These  are  reported,  investigated  and  monitored  by  Na tional  Adverse  Events Following Immunization (AEFI) Surveillance System which is part of the Universa Immunization Programme (UIP). Every year, 39 crore (approx.) doses of various vaccines administered to the children under Universal Immunization Prog ram.

Contd...........

(c) & (d) : Yes, under AEFI Surveillance System to investigate and assess any AEFI cases including  cause  of  death,  there  are  District  AEFI  Committee  at  district  level,  Stat Committee at State level and National AEFI Committee at National level. The members of the committee  comprise  of  paediatricians,  epidemiologists,  pharmacologists,  pathologists  et representatives from Integrated Disease Surveillance  Programme (IDSP),  Drug Contro Department  and  local  prof essional  bodies  like  Indian  Medical  Association  (IMA),  Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) etc. Most of the death cases analysed by these committee found  that  they  are  not  causally  related  to  vaccines  used  in  the  Universal  Immuni programme.

(e) : The total number of children deaths reported under AEFI Surveillance System from 2010 -11 till 2017 - 18 (as on December 17) in various States /UTs - wise is given in Annexure.

Annexure Year wise Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) (only deaths) reported by States/UTs

| STATEs/UTs       | 10-11   | 11-12   | 12-13   | 13-14   | 14-15   | 15-16   | 16-17   | 17-18   |   Total deaths |
|------------------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|----------------|
| Andhra Pradesh   | 9       | 19      | 14      | 4       | 12      | 19      | 18      | 6       |            101 |
| Arunachal PR.    |         |         |         |         |         | 2       | 3       |         |              5 |
| Assam            | 1       | 3       | 6       | 10      | 15      | 9       | 13      | 9       |             66 |
| Bihar            | 7       | 5       | 7       | 17      | 28      | 12      | 73      | 51      |            200 |
| Chandigarh       | 1       | 1       |         | 1       |         | 3       |         | 1       |              7 |
| Chhattisgarh     |         |         | 4       | 2       | 4       | 9       | 11      | 4       |             34 |
| D&N Haveli       |         |         |         |         |         |         |         |         |              0 |
| Daman & Diu      |         |         |         | 1       |         |         |         |         |              1 |
| Delhi            |         |         | 6       | 4       | 2       | 10      | 5       | 10      |             37 |
| Goa              |         |         | 1       | 2       |         | 1       | 1       |         |              5 |
| Gujarat          | 1       | 6       | 3       | 8       | 6       | 8       | 10      | 12      |             54 |
| Haryana          |         |         | 3       | 8       | 14      | 12      | 7       | 4       |             48 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 2       | 1       |         |         | 1       | 3       | 1       | 2       |             10 |
| Jammu & Kashmir  |         |         |         | 12      | 4       | 2       | 4       |         |             22 |
| Jharkhand        |         | 9       | 4       | 4       | 2       | 4       | 4       | 2       |             29 |
| Karnataka        |         | 6       | 7       | 9       | 9       | 29      | 16      | 14      |             90 |
| Kerala           |         | 3       | 13      | 8       | 7       | 19      | 12      | 13      |             75 |
| Madhya Pradesh   | 3       | 3       | 6       | 6       | 15      | 22      | 26      | 15      |             96 |
| Maharashtra      | 3       | 12      | 26      | 15      | 5       | 23      | 20      | 10      |            114 |
| Manipur          |         |         |         |         |         | 1       |         | 2       |              3 |
| Meghalaya        |         |         |         | 1       | 2       | 5       | 4       |         |             12 |
| Mizoram          |         |         |         |         | 11      | 2       | 2       |         |             15 |
| Nagaland         |         |         |         |         | 1       |         |         |         |              1 |
| Odisha           | 1       | 5       | 3       | 3       | 9       | 12      | 16      | 11      |             60 |
| Puducherry       |         |         |         |         |         |         |         |         |              0 |
| Punjab           | 1       | 2       | 4       | 2       | 1       | 6       | 2       | 2       |             20 |
| Rajasthan        |         | 3       | 2       | 4       | 6       | 5       | 6       | 2       |             28 |
| Sikkim           |         |         |         |         |         |         | 2       |         |              2 |
| Tamil Nadu       | 2       | 2       | 5       | 14      | 14      | 7       | 18      | 9       |             71 |
| Telangana        |         |         |         | 1       | 3       | 6       | 10      | 4       |             24 |
| Tripura          |         | 2       | 6       | 3       | 10      | 4       | 3       | 1       |             29 |
| Uttar Pradesh    | 2       | 27      | 22      | 26      | 45      | 60      | 38      | 33      |            253 |
| Uttarakhand      |         | 1       | 1       |         | 1       | 2       | 1       | 1       |              7 |
| West Bengal      | 4       | 15      | 23      | 24      | 31      | 25      | 42      | 30      |            194 |
| Grand Total      | 37      | 125     | 166     | 189     | 258     | 322     | 368     | 248     |           1713 |

Source : Direct reporting by States/UTs to AEFI secretariat /Govt. of India of serious/severe indivi

AEFI cases ( as on 31 - 12- 17)