Hospitals flooded over rumours of infant deaths due to polio vaccine in Indian-controlled Kashmir

Hospitals in Indian-controlled Kashmir were flooded after rumours about infant deaths due to polio vaccine immunization triggered chaos among people, officials said Monday.

The rumours spread on Sunday like a wildfire with panic stricken people rushing their children to hospitals across the region including Srinagar city, the summer capital, for checkups.

Authorities termed the rumours as baseless and misleading, and issued an advisory urging people not to lend ear to unfounded accounts.

"The Department of Health and Family Welfare has urged people not to believe any rumours regarding pulse polio immunization and make the program a success," a government spokesman said. "As per health officials, no death has been reported due to pulse polio vaccine from any district of Kashmir division as flashed by social media."

The unprecedented rush at the hospitals came as a surprise for the hospital authorities, who were unable to convince the people and cope with the rush.

"I hired a taxi and took my two-year old son to hospital for a checkup after I learnt that someone has died after the immunization," said Mohammed Yosuf Beigh, a resident of a village in Anantnag. "Though my child was normal still I thought it would be good to consult doctor and seek his advice."

Like Beigh, thousands of worried parents thronged hospitals for doctor advice.

Reports said at several hospitals and health centers, the doctors were beaten up and agitated mob broke furniture and window panes, besides thrashing security guards.

However, the assurances from health officials and doctors failed to pacify people, who until late kept on visiting hospitals and frantically calling newspaper offices and authorities.

"A huge rush of people entered the emergency ward urging us to see their children first. Though all the children were fit and fine people were worried unnecessarily," a junior doctor said. "The rumour had affected their psyche to such an extent that they were not ready to listen to doctors."

The rumours affected the immunization program and authorities on Monday made announcements urging people to immunize their children.

"In the first round held on Sunday 88.4 percent children were given polio drops in Kashmir division and in Jammu 79.50 percent children were administered the vaccine," the spokesman quoting statement from the region's health department said.

The health officials told people the vaccination program was safe and they should get their children immunized in the next two days.

"We fervently appeal to all to get their children below five years of age properly vaccinated with two drops of polio vaccine in the two days," Dr. Baldev R Sharma, a top health official said. "On Monday and Tuesday our health teams will be visiting house-to-house for administering polio drops to all those children who could not make it to the centers."

Meanwhile, a senior police official Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gillani told media they have registered a case in this regard and were contemplating stern action against the culprits.

Polio is a contagious viral disease that affects the nerves and is transmitted through fecal contaminated water or food. Endit