Bargarh, Aug 8: In a heartbreaking incident, a two-and-a-half-year-old boy died just 18 hours after receiving a vaccine, reportedly due to post-vaccination complications, in the Padampur area of Odisha’s Bargarh district on Thursday.
According to reports, the incident occurred in Temri village in Paikmal block of the district when one Mukesh Bhoi and his wife Jayanti Bhoi took their infant son to the Temri Anganwadi Centre on Wednesday afternoon, following a call from the auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) for routine immunisation of all children in the village.
Later that evening, after receiving the vaccine, the child developed a mild fever.
Assuming it was a common side effect of vaccination, the family did not raise any concern. However, when the baby lost consciousness the following morning, they rushed him to the nearest hospital, where, to their shock, doctors declared him dead.
Struggling to cope with the sudden loss of their child, the Bhoi family has alleged that medical negligence was responsible for the tragedy.
Mukesh said with grief that their son would have turned three months old in just a few days.
His father-in-law echoed the same allegations, saying, “My grandson was perfectly fine. He was playing with me in the morning. How did his health suddenly worsen—especially right after the vaccination? Who should we hold responsible?”
Jayanti, the grieving mother, wept inconsolably, saying, “I lost my child after getting him vaccinated. What could be more devastating than this? My world has completely shattered.”
Following the incident, the family lodged a police complaint. The infant's body was taken for post-mortem examination and later returned to the family.
A case has been registered, and police have launched an investigation into the child's death.
