A THREE-MONTH-OLD baby died after reportedly receiving a shot of pentavalent vaccine last Wednesday, November 8, in a health center in Sitio Abuno, Barangay Pajac, Lapu-Lapu City.
The fatality was identified as Ghir Vaughn McReign Igoy.
The baby's mother, Gian Millicent Igoy, said that she rushed her son to the Doctor Ouano Hospital in Lapu-Lapu City on Thursday after Ghir Vaughn experienced seizures.
Gian Millicent said she transferred her son to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City on the same day after being advised to do so.
The Igoy family blamed the vaccine administered to Ghir Vaughn as the cause of his death.
According to the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), pentavalent vaccine "is a combination of five vaccines in one: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenza type b (the bacteria that causes meningitis, pneumonia and otitis)."
The mother said that a certain Grace Mailingin, a midwife at Abuno Health Center, was the one who injected the vaccine into her son.
Ghir Vaughn will be buried on Wednesday, November 15.
Meanwhile, Riel Igoy, the baby's grandfather, is requesting for an investigation on the death of his grandson.
“For my Beloved Grandson... gusto lng nko mapa imbstigahan ang nag immunize sa ako apo nga 3 months old pa lang dha sa ABUNO HEALTH CENTER sa Brgy. Pajac last Wednesday (Nov. 8, 2017),” Riel posted on his Facebook account on Sunday.
Riel said that a 4-month-old baby girl, who was injected with the pentavalent vaccine at the same health center on the same day, also died.
“At the sametime ngkaabot pd mi didto sa amoa nga silingan taga Abuno pd sla, iya anak girl 4 months, dungan sla pa immunize sa Abuno Health Center last Wednesday (Nov. 8, 2017) sa ako apo, same person ang nag inject or nag immunize, same effect which siezure, healthy pd ilang bata, wlay sakit, same sla gtabang sa mga nurse ug dctor, same day & same time sla namatay (Nov. 11, 2017) around 2 p.m.,” Riel said on Facebook.
"Ingon sa doctor ang bacteria dali kaau niska sa utok...wlay laing hinungdan ngano namtay ang mga bta kadto ra gyud pag-immunize," he added.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza in an interview on Tuesday said that she will provide legal assistance to Igoy family. (University of San Carlos AB Communications interns Precious Grace Gandia and Reva Alixz Hermosa/SunStar Philippines)