Young mother Violetta Kulakova cries when she shows a photograph of her four-month-old daughter who died in May this year. The girl's grandmother cannot hold back tears either. After a routine vaccination, the child seemed to be doing well, but died less than a day later. In the forensic medical examination, experts will come to the conclusion that vaccination has nothing to do with the tragedy in the family, and the child died of sudden infant death syndrome.
After the incident in the Gantsevichi region, the Kulakovs' family decided to talk about their tragedy and get an investigation.
"Immediately after the vaccinations, everything was fine, but then the child died."
Vitalina was born in December 2017. This is the second child in the Kulakov family, the eldest girl is now 1 year and 7 months old. In March 2018, Vitalina had a scheduled primary vaccination at a local clinic, where they introduced two vaccines - Eupenta and IPV against poliomyelitis. There was no reaction to vaccination, everything was in order.
On May 8 this year, the girl was brought in for a secondary vaccination with the same vaccines. The girl was more than four months old, the child was examined by a pediatrician, he came to the conclusion that the baby was healthy, she was vaccinated, after which the girl was in the clinic for another 30 minutes - and there were no undesirable reactions either.
In the afternoon, the family went to their dacha in Fanipol, which is just over 20 km from Minsk. According to Violetta Kulakova, it was hot in the car and the girl had a fever, she sweated a little, but her parents did not associate this condition with vaccinations. At the dacha, the child felt good. At about 8:30 pm she was put to bed.
At nine o'clock in the evening, she woke up, I fed her, and she slept further, - says the baby's mother. - At this time, we put the eldest daughter to bed, and ourselves and my husband went to bed at about 23.00.
The older girl slept in a separate bed, and the younger one with her parents. At about 5-5.30 o'clock in the morning, Violetta woke up and saw that the baby did not move.
I told her: "Vitalina, Vitalina!", Tried to do artificial respiration, but she did not breathe. We called an ambulance, followed by the police and specialists from the Investigative Committee.
Experts: the cause of the tragedy is sudden infant death syndrome
At the end of June, the Kulakovs were given the results of the forensic examination. Experts concluded that the child died of sudden infant death syndrome.
“According to the studied medical documentation of V.P. Kulakov. was born a healthy child and developed according to age. 05/08/2018 was examined by a pediatrician, vaccination was carried out according to the schedule of vaccinations with Eupenta vaccines (against hemophilic infection, viral hepatitis B, pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus) and the IPV vaccine (against poliomyelitis), while there were no complications after the vaccination ", - is said in the conclusions of the forensic medical examination.
The document also indicates that the girl did not have any morphological signs of any serious illnesses, developmental defects, or bodily injuries. In the blood and internal organs, signs of ethyl alcohol and toxic substances were also not revealed. On the baby's forehead, there was a patch of altered skin of a pale bluish color, but, according to histological examination, it is not a bodily injury.
“Based on the foregoing, given the sudden nature of the infant's death during sleep (according to the materials of the check), the cause of death of V.P. Kulakova was. there was a syndrome of sudden death of infants, "- indicated in the examination.
At the same time, experts suggested that the death of the child, whose body was examined at 9.55 am on May 9, occurred about 6-12 hours ago.
The experts also noted that, given all the studies, there is no reason to believe that the death was due to vaccination.
If there were no vaccinations, we would have believed in sudden death syndrome, because this happens, especially with children under the age of 6 months, says Olga Yankovskaya, the girl's grandmother.
After the incident in the Gantsevichi region, the family hopes to investigate their tragedy as well.
Lawyer: the family can ask the UK to conduct a background check
Olga Akinsheva, the chief physician of the 7th city children's polyclinic in Minsk, in a conversation with TUT.BY, noted that she had no right to comment on the situation, since the investigation into the death of the girl was carried out by the Investigative Committee.
They assessed these actions and carried out an examination, including the connection between what happened with vaccines, - said the head physician.
According to her, since such a connection was not established, they did not stop vaccination at the clinic.
Ekaterina Gamzunova, a lawyer of the Minsk City Bar Association, said: despite the fact that the child died in May, the parents have the right to apply to the IC with a request to conduct a check on the death of the child, with a more detailed study of the quality of the introduced vaccine.
Taking into account the existing expert opinion that the cause of death was the syndrome of sudden infant death, taking into account the previously posed and investigated questions, as well as the current situation around vaccination, the UK may consider it necessary to conduct additional verification. Of course, this will be more difficult to do over time, but each vaccine has a production series, and perhaps there is still a chance that the vaccine that was introduced in May may still be available and can be tested, ”says the lawyer.
Recall that the tragedy in the Gantsevichi region occurred on August 13. The parents brought the baby for routine vaccination. After the introduction of several vaccinations, the child began to choke and was hospitalized by an ambulance. Unfortunately, it was not possible to save the baby. The child was injected with two vaccines - Eupenta (manufactured by LG Chem. Ltd, South Korea) and Immovax Polio (manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur, France). At the moment, the use of two series of these vaccines has been suspended until all the necessary investigations have been completed.
As it turned out later, the South Korean vaccine was not included in the Register of Medicines in Belarus. The Eupenta vaccine began to be used instead of DPT; it was purchased in 2017. The Ministry of Health said that in 2016, the manufacturer of the DPT vaccine from Russia, which has been supplying immunobiological preparations to the territory of Belarus for a long time, was unable to ensure the supply of the vaccine of the proper quality in a timely manner.
On the other hand, the WHO representative in Belarus noted that the Eupenta vaccine is WHO prequalified and this is a confirmation that it is safe, high quality and effective.
Inna Karaban, Deputy Head of the Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Prevention of the Ministry of Health, told BelaPAN that the use of this vaccine was resumed on June 20, due to the fact that “no deviations in the quality of the drug were found either at the time of delivery to the territory of the Republic of Belarus, or in the course of its use. "
“All series of the Priorix vaccine produced by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals s.a., Belgium, used in the Republic of Belarus, passed quality control in June 2016 and, according to the test results, meet the requirements for verified indicators and sections,” Karaban said.
The quality of the Priorix drug at the time of delivery to Belarus is also confirmed by the presence of a number of certificates of compliance with the requirements of Good Manufacturing Practice for Medicines, the employee of the Ministry of Health emphasized. The Priorix vaccine is recommended by the World Health Organization for use in national immunization programs.
The use of the Priorix vaccine was suspended at the beginning of June this year after a child vaccinated with it died on May 31 in Grodno. According to the Investigative Committee, at about 16:00 on May 31, in the children's polyclinic No. 1 in Grodno, after the introduction of a combined vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella, the health condition of a six-year-old girl sharply deteriorated. Despite the efforts of doctors, she died in front of her mother. How exactly the child's condition worsened after vaccination, whether the allergic reaction was pronounced, was not reported.
The Office of the Investigative Committee for the Grodno region opened a criminal case on the fact of improper performance of professional duties by medical workers (part 2 of article 162 of the Criminal Code).
Igor Gaevsky, who at that time was the chief state sanitary doctor of the Republic of Belarus, told BelaPAN on June 1 that the suspension of the use of the vaccine would last one or two days. A special commission of the Ministry of Health was created to investigate this case.
However, the audit dragged on for a longer period. Igor Gaevsky left his post, and now the Ministry of Health has justified the vaccine.
This was expected - on May 31, in addition to the dead girl, nine more children were vaccinated with this vaccine, no complaints were received from them. In 2015, over 226 thousand children were vaccinated by Priorix. During the use of this vaccine since 2012, two cases of adverse reactions were registered, which amounted to 0.007 cases per 1000 vaccinated, that is, less than the amount allowed by the manufacturer of the vaccine (0.01 cases per 1000 vaccinated).
However, it is noteworthy that the Priorix vaccination was resumed before the Investigative Committee announces the cause of the child's death.
Now near the vaccination room in the Grodno polyclinic No. 1 it is empty and quiet. And a few days ago there was a line in front of these doors. It was here that a tragedy took place that excited the whole country. Mom brought little Sasha here to get a routine vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella - and Sasha is in her mother's arms.
Most recently, the girl finished attending kindergarten, and her parents gave her a medical certificate for school.
According to the nurses of the polyclinic, the vaccination procedure for the baby was at first quite routine. The girl was previously examined by a doctor; the doctors did not reveal any contraindications to vaccination. But as soon as the injection was made, almost immediately the girl felt unwell.
“She turned pale and began to faint,” the nurses say.
Literally 5 minutes later, the first ambulance arrived at the clinic, then the second. A team of pediatric resuscitators joined the doctors of the polyclinic. Together they tried to save the girl for about 40 minutes. According to TUT.BY, during this time, the patient's heart stopped several times and was able to start it twice. However, the miracle did not happen. The girl died.
Official comments are laconic.
- We grieve together with our relatives and ourselves are shocked by what happened, - says the chief physician of the State Healthcare Institution "Children's Polyclinic No. 1 of Grodno" Irina Lukanskaya... - It is too early to talk about the reasons for the girl's death. We must wait for the results of the examination, and only then can we say something concretely. It was a standard procedure, and nothing meant trouble.
According to the doctors, the girl did not suffer from chronic diseases and that day did not complain about her health.
Now all vaccines have been withdrawn from the polyclinic and sent to Minsk for verification.
Forensic doctors also join the doctors. They say that the exact cause of the girl's death will be established a little later.
- All documentation related to this case will be examined. Experts will conduct a fairly large number of additional studies: histological, virological, as well as general chemical analysis and others, in order to accurately determine the cause of death, - said the chief state forensic medical expert for the Grodno region Vladimir Laikov.
Now, with whom the deceased girl was vaccinated, has been suspended for the duration of the proceedings.
In the kindergarten where the baby went, the girl is remembered very warmly.
- We are all very worried. It is all the more scary when you know the child well and he grew up literally in front of your eyes, - says the head of kindergarten number 67 Oksana Gavron and adds: - Sasha never complained about her health, she was active and mobile.
Little Sasha is buried in Grodno today. The parents are left with the eldest daughter, who is 17 years old.
What can happen to a child in a treatment room and how and how should he be saved?
All doctors in informal conversations agree on one thing: it is difficult to assume that something other than anaphylactic shock has happened to the child in this situation - taking into account all the facts known about the drug and the baby's anamnesis.
The official version of the girl's death after the completion of the necessary research will be announced by the doctors, but for now we will try to figure out what can happen to the child in the treatment room and how and how he should be saved.
First and foremost:
The fulminant form of anaphylactic shock leaves practically no chance of saving any person - despite all the efforts and qualifications of doctors. Doctors say that in this case “ sometimes the patient is saved. "
Second - and no less important:
Insure yourself or your child against an inappropriate body reaction almost impossible... The fact is that anaphylactic, like any other allergic reaction, always develops on repeated ingestion of antigen: here you ate something or drank or drank, and then suddenly once - and in the next reception anaphylactic shock.
- This is, let's say, an extremely inadequate response of the body to an encounter with an already familiar (or very similar to it) antigen. The specific properties and good quality of the drug or product have nothing to do with it, - explains the practicing resuscitation doctor. And he gives an example of a household analogy: - Imagine that a postman rang at the door, outwardly similar to, say, your ex-husband, who was also a postman. Aggression swept over you - and you set fire to the apartment out of anger. Moreover, and further, every time the postman called at your door, you burned the apartment again and again. So in this case, you are allergic to postmen, and a fire is anaphylaxis. This is an inadequate response to a harmless stimulus.
Cannot be considered a guarantor of shock and so popular in conversations of Belarusian mothers "sensitivity tests" - the test itself can cause shock... After all, anaphylaxis, the doctor says, develops by a trigger mechanism.
- The principle of the trigger: pressed with a finger - the gun fired, and the power of the shot does not depend in any way on the force applied to the trigger. In other words, the strength of the anaphylactic response does not depend on the amount of antigen that has entered the body. The same reaction is possible on the "test for sensitivity" itself.
Third, in all treatment rooms there are anti-shock first-aid kits and all health workers know how to use them. This is checked
- In treatment rooms - in all! - there is a separate wardrobe in which there are emergency boxes. These styling is themed. For example, the box says "Anaphylactic shock" - and it contains all the medications that need to be used in shock according to clinical protocols. The list of them is approved by the Ministry of Health. The completeness is checked regularly. In addition, each polyclinic has a resuscitation kit (completeness is also approved). For emergencies, the staff regularly undergo technical training and pass tests. A folder with printed algorithms of actions is in the same cabinet, says the practitioner.
According to him, this year alone, the entire polyclinic service of the country “ specifically for emergency care, they have already checked twice, and not only climbed the boxes, but also tested the staff". Of course, the human factor cannot be ruled out - in the practice of a particular nurse in a particular institution, anything can happen, and this is what the investigation will deal with in the framework of the investigation of the initiated criminal case.
“But the topic of providing emergency assistance at all levels has not been allowed to take its course, in the last three or four years the Ministry of Health has been developing and monitoring it very closely,” says a doctor who has nothing to do with Grodno history.
An ambulance at the clinic was not called because, perhaps, they saw that they themselves could not cope: according to a practicing resuscitation specialist, the team should be called almost always - if the case, in their opinion, is even a little serious, and not a scratched hand.
- The clinic provides emergency medical care, an ambulance evacuates the patient to the hospital. And in the admission department they are already deciding and assessing whether hospitalization or possibly outpatient treatment is needed.
Now near the vaccination room in the Grodno polyclinic No. 1 it is empty and quiet. And a few days ago there was a line in front of these doors. It was here that a tragedy took place that excited the whole country. Mom brought little Sasha here to get a routine vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella - and Sasha died in her mother's arms after vaccination.
Most recently, the girl finished attending kindergarten, and her parents gave her a medical certificate for school.
According to the nurses of the polyclinic, the vaccination procedure for the baby was at first quite routine. The girl was previously examined by a doctor; the doctors did not reveal any contraindications to vaccination. But as soon as the injection was made, almost immediately the girl felt unwell.
She turned pale and began to lose consciousness, the nurses say.
Literally 5 minutes later, the first ambulance arrived at the clinic, then the second. A team of pediatric resuscitators joined the doctors of the polyclinic. Together they tried to save the girl for about 40 minutes. According to TUT.BY, during this time, the patient's heart stopped several times and was able to start it twice. However, the miracle did not happen. The girl died.
Official comments are laconic.
We grieve together with our relatives and ourselves are shocked by what happened, - says the chief physician of the State Healthcare Institution "Children's Polyclinic No. 1 of Grodno" Irina Lukanskaya... - It is too early to talk about the reasons for the girl's death. We must wait for the results of the examination, and only then can we say something concretely. It was a standard procedure, and nothing meant trouble.
According to the doctors, the girl did not suffer from chronic diseases and that day did not complain about her health.
Now all vaccines have been withdrawn from the polyclinic and sent to Minsk for verification.
Forensic doctors also join the doctors. They say that the exact cause of the girl's death will be established a little later.
All documentation related to this case will be reviewed. Experts will conduct a fairly large number of additional studies: histological, virological, as well as general chemical analysis and others, in order to accurately determine the cause of death, - said the chief state forensic medical expert for the Grodno region Vladimir Laikov.
Now the use of the Belgian vaccine "Priorix", which the deceased girl was vaccinated with, has been suspended for the duration of the proceedings.
In the kindergarten where the baby went, the girl is remembered very warmly.
We are all very worried. It is all the more scary when you know the child well and he grew up literally in front of your eyes, - says the head of kindergarten number 67 Oksana Gavron and adds: - Sasha never complained about her health, she was active and mobile.
Little Sasha is buried in Grodno today. The parents are left with the eldest daughter, who is 17 years old.
What can happen to a child in a treatment room and how and how should he be saved?
All doctors in informal conversations agree on one thing: it is difficult to assume that something other than anaphylactic shock has happened to the child in this situation - taking into account all the facts known about the drug and the baby's anamnesis.
The official version of the girl's death after the completion of the necessary research will be announced by the doctors, but for now we will try to figure out what can happen to the child in the treatment room and how and how he should be saved.
First and foremost:
The fulminant form of anaphylactic shock leaves practically no chance of saving any person - despite all the efforts and qualifications of doctors. Doctors say that in this case “ sometimes the patient is saved. "
Second - and no less important:
Insure yourself or your child against an inappropriate body reaction almost impossible... The fact is that anaphylactic, like any other allergic reaction, always develops on repeated ingestion of antigen: here you ate something or drank or drank, and then suddenly once - and in the next reception anaphylactic shock.
This is, let's say, an extremely inadequate response of the body to an encounter with an already familiar (or very similar to it) antigen. The specific properties and good quality of the drug or product have nothing to do with it, - explains the practicing resuscitation doctor. And he gives an example of a household analogy: - Imagine that a postman rang at the door, outwardly similar to, say, your ex-husband, who was also a postman. Aggression swept over you - and you set fire to the apartment out of anger. Moreover, and further, every time the postman called at your door, you burned the apartment again and again. So in this case, you are allergic to postmen, and a fire is anaphylaxis. This is an inadequate response to a harmless stimulus.
Cannot be considered a guarantor of shock and so popular in conversations of Belarusian mothers "sensitivity tests" - the test itself can cause shock... After all, anaphylaxis, the doctor says, develops by a trigger mechanism.
The principle of the trigger: pressed with a finger - the gun fired, and the power of the shot does not depend in any way on the force applied to the trigger. In other words, the strength of the anaphylactic response does not depend on the amount of antigen that has entered the body. The same reaction is possible on the "test for sensitivity" itself.
Third, in all treatment rooms there are anti-shock first-aid kits and all health workers know how to use them. This is checked
In treatment rooms - in all! - there is a separate wardrobe in which there are emergency boxes. These styling is themed. For example, the box says "Anaphylactic shock" - and it contains all the medications that need to be used in shock according to clinical protocols. The list of them is approved by the Ministry of Health. The completeness is checked regularly. In addition, each polyclinic has a resuscitation kit (completeness is also approved). For emergencies, the staff regularly undergo technical training and pass tests. A folder with printed algorithms of actions is in the same cabinet, says the practitioner.
According to him, this year alone, the entire polyclinic service of the country “ specifically for emergency care, they have already checked twice, and not only climbed the boxes, but also tested the staff". Of course, the human factor cannot be ruled out - in the practice of a particular nurse in a particular institution, anything can happen, and this is what the investigation will deal with in the framework of the investigation of the initiated criminal case.
But the topic of providing emergency care at all levels has not been allowed to take its course, in the last three or four years the Ministry of Health has been developing and monitoring it very closely, says a doctor who has nothing to do with Grodno history.
An ambulance at the clinic was not called because, perhaps, they saw that they themselves could not cope: according to a practicing resuscitation specialist, the team should be called almost always - if the case, in their opinion, is even a little serious, and not a scratched hand.
The clinic provides emergency medical care, an ambulance evacuates the patient to the hospital. And in the admission department they are already deciding and assessing whether hospitalization or possibly outpatient treatment is needed.
Cyril, two months old. The parents brought the baby to the FAP in the village of Bolshiye Krugovichi for routine vaccinations. But after the vaccination, the baby felt bad, and he was taken by ambulance to the regional hospital. Unfortunately, it was not possible to save the child. The Ministry of Health has created a special commission that will find out how and why the child died.
They carried out an autopsy, there was a commission, a forensic examination, - the father of a two-month-old boy, Alexander, is crying into the phone. - They said that all the organs of the child are absolutely healthy, no diseases or abnormalities have been identified. The wife, as expected, registered with the pregnancy, was checked at one time, did an ultrasound scan. A baby was born, we went for an examination - everything is fine, healthy. This time they also measured their height and weight, and listened. And they got vaccinated ... To bury a healthy child is cruel.
In the family of Alexander and Olga, Kirill was the youngest child, there is also an older brother, he is five years old.
Previously, they were given one vaccination at a time or already at an older age. And here for such a small crumb - two vaccinations at once, - Alexander analyzes. - I don’t know, they provided the right help, wrong ... The result - no child, that's all. It is inhuman if it happened due to inexperience or negligence. If this is actually the vaccine's fault, then why experiment on children? Why so? We wanted to have a full-fledged family, planned everything like ordinary people. We are finishing the house. Recently he buried his father, his father-in-law too, and then bury his son. What have I done badly in my life?
“When I was discharged from the hospital, there were no problems. And now the ultrasound has shown problems "
Approximately at the same time and in the same place, another girl, two-month-old Ulyana, was vaccinated. Kirill's mother Olga and Ulyana's mother Victoria even managed to throw a couple of phrases. A few hours after the vaccination, the baby's temperature rose, her mother called an ambulance, and her daughter was taken to intensive care. Victoria and her daughter spent 24 hours in intensive care, then they were transferred to the pediatric department. The Ministry of Health says that the girl was taken to intensive care to play it safe, and fever is a common reaction after vaccination. Now, according to doctors, nothing threatens the girl's life and health.
My child became ill after the vaccination, the temperature rose to 38. What, I had to wait until the temperature was 40? - Victoria wonders. In her place, perhaps any mother would have behaved this way. - Of course, I immediately called an ambulance - doctors arrived from Gantsevichi, then they took us to the intensive care unit in Baranovichi. Now (in the morning of August 15th - Ed.) My daughter is better, we are in the pediatric ward.
Victoria worries that little Ulyana had an ultrasound scan and found that fluid was collecting between the crown and the brain.
When I asked if this could be due to the vaccination, they answered: maybe everything, but not likely. I gave birth to my daughter in Baranovichi. And upon discharge, we underwent an examination of the brain, abdominal cavity - there were no problems.
Children received routine vaccinations - at this age, the Korean vaccine "Eupenta" (against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, viral hepatitis B and hemophilus influenzae) and the French polio vaccine are administered. These are standard vaccines that are used for vaccinations in Belarusian polyclinics.
The series of this vaccine has been stopped for use throughout the country, the press service of the Ministry of Health said.
In the Minsk polyclinics, which we called, children are vaccinated, as before, the vaccine has not been withdrawn or changed anywhere.
OFFICIALLY
Ministry of Health:
"The risk of complications after vaccination is thousands of times less than the risk of complications after diseases."
Post-vaccination reactions are various changes in the child's condition that develop after the administration of the vaccine and go away on their own within a short period of time. They do not pose a threat and do not lead to permanent damage to health. The risk of complications after vaccination is hundreds and thousands of times less than the risk of complications after previous diseases, the Ministry of Health says.
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