It is being reported that at least 36 children have died in the rebel-held province of Idlib, Syria due to tainted measles vaccines. Some are suggesting the vaccine had been adulterated with cyanide, possibly by regime agents, to undermine confidence in the opposition. Others claim the vials were “mixed up” by health-care workers in the area with atracurium sulfate, a muscle relaxant that happens to have a “similar label”. Either way, children aged 18 months to 6 years died horrible deaths by asphyxiation after receiving the vaccines and the death toll continues to rise.
The Syrian interim government’s health ministry has called a halt to the second round of the vaccination program. Adnan Hazouri, the interim health minister, held a conference and assured that he will resign if an investigation upheld allegations of negligence, as blood samples have been sent to Turkey for analysis.
“It’s very bad. The figures of dead we are getting go into the 30s. Children are dying very quickly,” said Daher Zidan, the coordinator of the medical charity, Uossm (Union of Syrian Medical Relief Organization). “We think it will get worse.”
Monther Khalil, the head of the Idlib medical department said during an interview with Radio Hawa Smart, “The department assures all parents who have had their children vaccinated that the vaccine is completely fine and there is no risk to children who have already been injected. We have already vaccinated 60,000 children against measles and there has been no previous problem. The same crews also previously carried out a polio campaign, where they vaccinated 252,000 children across seven rounds, and there were no abnormal complications.”
