The death of 12-year-old Pathanamthitta girl Abhirami, who was given three doses of vaccine and immunoglobulin, triggered enough hue and cry in Kerala against stray dogs early September.
This year 22 people died of rabies and out of these five had taken vaccine prompting the government to sit up and think.
Subsequently Kerala health minister Veena George wrote to union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya requesting him to direct the central drug laboratory to check the efficacy and quality of the intra venal rabies vaccine.
In her letter to the union minister, she said a few deaths despite taking vaccines have increased concern of people. She also sent the batch no of vaccine vials and the central drug laboratory’s (CDL) authentication details with the letter.
The CDL testifies all vaccines under the drugs and cosmetics act in the country before their release for use.
Now a reply under Right To Information Act has brought out some shocking details about the apparent anomaly in the purchase of anti-rabies vaccine by the state government.
It has been found that a vaccine which had not been cleared in tests by the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) was bought and that too with the knowledge of the state government authorities, including the Health Minister.