A one-and-half-year-old girl, Sharanya, died on Tuesday allegedly after she was administered polio drops as part of the Pulse Polio drive at Chevuripalem village in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh.
The girl's parents alleged that she died after the drop was given, but the district medical and health authorities refuted it.
“According to the information gathered by us, the baby was already suffering from fever and diarrhoea. She was taken to a registered medical practitioner for treatment, but when her condition turned critical, they visited a paediatrician. In the afternoon, the mother found the baby drowsy after being given a syrup. The baby died on the way to hospital,” said D. Shalini Devi, Krishna District Medical and Health Officer.
Panic over report
The DM&HO also denied reports of 30 children taking ill on Wednesday after being given polio drops. She said the girl's death and reports in the media that it was due to polio drops, triggered panic among other parents who brought their children to the hospital on Wednesday to ascertain that nothing was wrong with their health
“My only plea to the media is not to mislead the public by attributing negative shades to the incident,” she said.
A medical team has been sent to the village to ascertain the exact cause of the death.
