1-day-old baby boy dies after vaccination in Ca Mau

On the evening of February 23, the Ca Mau Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital (Ca Mau) said that the hospital had reported the death of a 1-day-old newborn after receiving a syphilis prophylactic injection.

The newborn is a boy, born to a mother living in Dam Doi district, Ca Mau province. The baby was born by cesarean section at 39 weeks of gestation, weighing 3,700 grams. After birth, the baby cried loudly, had rosy skin, and had good reflexes.

However, because the mother tested positive for syphilis, the baby was taken to the Neonatal Department at 10:00 p.m. on February 21 for monitoring.

At the Neonatal Department, the baby's health condition is stable, with pink lips, a clear pulse of 140 times/minute, regular breathing of 48 times/minute, good reflexes, regular heartbeat, bilateral lung ventilation, soft abdomen, flat fontanel. The baby was prescribed a syphilis prophylactic injection of Benzathine benzylpenicillin according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health.

At 6:45 a.m. on February 22, the baby was injected intramuscularly with Benzathine benzylpenicillin at a dose of 50,000 IU/kg according to Decision No. 2438/QD-BYT dated July 4, 2019 on "Technical guidelines for interventions to prevent HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis transmission from mother to child".

After the injection, the baby showed signs of cyanosis and chest retraction. The baby was immediately given emergency treatment with oxygen and intramuscular adrenaline. However, the respiratory failure progressed, leading to shock. Despite intensive resuscitation and intubation, the baby did not survive and died at 8:30 a.m. on February 22.

Ca Mau Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital diagnosed the cause of death as grade 4 anaphylactic shock, suspected to be caused by the antibiotic Benzathine benzylpenicillin.

Immediately after the incident, the hospital coordinated with the local police to inform and explain the patient’s condition, care and treatment process to the family. The family agreed to take the child home and had no further comments.

Currently, the incident is being further verified and clarified by the authorities.