A six member team from the Health Department has reached Jacobabad to investigate the cause of death of a young girl who allegedly died after receiving the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
According to the report, the family stated that Samira and her younger sister Naseema were taken to a private hospital in Sukkur after they both fainted.
The girl’s uncle, Gul Mir, told reporters that the incident occurred when both sisters received the HPV vaccine in the Saddurabad area of Thul Taluka, Jacobabad District.
According to him, during treatment, Samira passed away while her sister’s condition is reported to be critical. The family blamed the HPV vaccine for the teenage girl’s death. Samira’s body was taken to the Thul Taluka Hospital for postmortem examination, after which it was handed over to the family for burial.
The uncle further stated that a few days earlier, a Health Department team had visited their home to vaccinate the girls against cervical cancer, but the family refused, and the team left.
The next day, when no men were present at home, the vaccination team returned and assured the women that the vaccine was safe.
Later, the team vaccinated three sisters Samira, Naseema, and Musarrat. However, soon after, two of them started feeling unwell, and the family rushed them to the hospital, where Samira died.
Sindh’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) Project Director, Dr. Raj Kumar, said that the same HPV vaccine is being used in more than 150 countries worldwide, and no such adverse reaction has ever been reported anywhere.
He said that a six member team, including representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), has arrived in Jacobabad, and investigations are ongoing
Jacobabad District Health Officer (DHO), Dr. Siraj Ahmed Sehto, said that a joint investigation team comprising Dr. Saz Ali Jikhrani, Dr. Muhammad Tariq Memon, Dr. Ayaz Ahmed Memon, Dr. Saima Solangi, Dr. Ameer Kumar, and Abdul Shakoor is currently investigating the matter and will submit its report soon.
