Ha Noi (VNA) -- A vaccine made by a British drugs company, suspected of having caused a child's death in Viet Nam last year, has got a clean bill of health, meaning that a ban on the drug's distribution is set to be lifted.
The Ministry of Health's Department of Preventive Medicine said GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Pte Ltd would again be allowed to distribute Priorix, a measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR).
Nguyen Van Binh, deputy director of the department, said on Feb. 8 results of tests done on the vaccine in Germany, Japan, Belgium had been received. They showed it met all technical specifications and quality standards.
The ministry would issue a notification to allow distribution of Priorix soon, he said.
MMR was banned after a child in HCM City, who got a shot of the vaccine, died of toxic shock syndrome. Five other children were seriously affected. All the children had been aged eight to 17 months.
Later, investigations by the Ministry of Health, HCM City's Department of Health and the World Health Organisation showed that two health workers handling the children had been infected by the Staphylococus aureus bacteria.
The same bacterium, which can cause minor skin infections, abscesses, and even fatal diseases like pneumonia, meningitis, endocarditis, and septicemia, was found in the infected babies.-Enditem
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