Certain vaccination programs have been suspended in all of Mexico after two babies died and 29 others became ill in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico. They received vaccines against tuberculosis, rotovirus, and hepatitis B.
Six of the 29 babies who were sickened are seriously ill. The rest are in stable condition.
Officials with Mexico's Institute for Social Security said that the cause of the illnesses is not known. The batches that the vaccines came from have been identified. The needles used in the investigation are also being investigated.
Federal and state health officials have visited the hospital where the infants were taken and have pledged discover the cause of the adverse reactions to the shots and support the parents. However, the parents of the two babies who died are so angry at the government that they are refusing to allow autopsies, according to CNN.
The illnesses and deaths occurred in the town of La Pimienta within the district of Simojovel de Allende. Health officials came to the community and offered vaccines for infants on Friday. Fifty-two babies were vaccinated. The vaccines the babies received that day are generally administered between birth and age 6 months, according to the national vaccination schedule. By evening, 31 infants had become ill and were taken to a hospital in Simojovel.
La Pimienta is a very poor mining town. According to CNN, the health facility in the town consists of a cinder-block health center with a tin roof and dusty shelves that contain only a few over-the-counter medications. A doctor only comes to the town on occasion.
In Chiapas, 93% of residents live in poverty and almost 70% live in extreme poverty, according to the Associated Press. Chiapas is the southernmost state in Mexico and has a population of nearly 5 million.
