Tangail child given rabies vaccine instead of BCG shot

A retired health inspector, tasked by the Upazila health authorities, admits his “fault”

An infant has allegedly been administered a rabies vaccine instead of a BCG shot by a retired health inspector at the Bhuapur Upazila Health Complex in Tangail.

The inspector “mistakenly” injected a 35-day-old child on Wednesday afternoon, said Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Md Lutfor Rahman Azad.

After the incident, panic spread among the parents of the children who came to the hospital for vaccination.

The child's family said Mou Khatun of Chhabbisha village brought her daughter Fahita, identified with a single name, to the health complex's vaccination centre for BCG vaccination as part of her routine inoculation in the afternoon.

At that time, former health inspector Mohammad Qayyum, who was on duty, gave the child two doses of rabies vaccine instead.

After some time, the incident came to light when the child's physical condition changed.

The child’s relatives expressed their resentment and demanded punishment over the incident.

They subsequently learnt that Qayyum had recently retired and he was working on behalf of Assistant Health Inspector Nurul Islam Nuru upon approval from the health complex authorities.

Qayyum admitted that he injected the wrong vaccine, saying: “It was an unintentional mistake.”

The Upazila health officer Azad, said: “The incident is unexpected. He [Qayyum] has retired. Still, he was brought in to carry out the vaccination programme.”

District Civil Surgeon Dr Farazi Muhammad Mahbubul Alam Manju, citing paediatricians, said the wrong vaccination may not cause any problems for the child.

“Still, the child has been kept under observation,” he added.