ANTI-TOXIN TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 30 January 1928, Page 3

ANTI-TOXIN TRAGEDY

DEATHS AFTER INOCULATION. (Australian & N.Z. Cable Association BRISBANE, Jan. 30. following inoculation under the Government system to provide immunisation against diphtheria. 11 children died and six others were hospitalled at Bundaberg in a serious condition. The serum was supplied by the Federal Health Department, and the inoculations were carried out in the City Council Chambers. The first two hatches were treated .successfully, hut later the children became ill, and were rushed to the hospital, where they died. Six others are not expected to recover. The ages of the dead range from fifteen months to six years. Government have ordered individual post mortems. DEATH ROLL OF 12. (Received this day at 10.15 a.m.) BRISBANE. Jan. 30. The death roll of the children at Bundaberg as a result of the innoculation is now twelve. The Government pathologist and other medical experts are proceeding to Bundabei’g from Brisbane in a special train. Two batches of children were successfully innoculated ami tie' the 1 hatch dealt with on Friday. The victims showed no ill-effects till Friday night when they were sei/e.l with violent attacks of vomiting and diarrhoea. The parents were not lenity concerned thinking the illness inereiy the customary result of inoculation. The attacks continued throughout the night and in the. morning Doctor Thompson was summoned to the home of one of the children and found the child dangerously ill and ordered its immediate removal to the hospital and realising that something was amiss, called other medical officers of the city and sent iilicin to attend the other children. Ambulances were called out and spent the rest of the morning hurrying the patients oil' to the hospital, where everything was prepared for their reception. The doctors left nothing to chance. Even those children who showed no ill-effects were removed to- the hospital for observation.

Doctor Elkington (Director of Tropical Hygiene in the Commonwealth Health Department) said the action of toxin and anti-toxin in the ease of affected children was utterly abnormal. Ho says there is no similar instance as far as he is aware has been recorded anywhere, despite the use of this method in many hundreds of thousands of eases in all parts ol the world. The outstanding tact which appeared so far, Elkington continued, had been that a number of children had been inoculated between 17th and 24th January without suffering any ill-effects and that only those who were inoculated on the 27th from the same hatch ot material became- ill. Some of those had already received one injection ot it, but ugly U'camo ill after the second injection. Others became very ill soon after their first injection. I liis indicated clearly enough that the material as received contained no harmful agency, and did not contain any for at, ‘least a week after it was received at Bundaberg. Arrangements have then made for the recall of that particular batch from which the sullercrs wore inoculated and to discontinue the issue of anti-toxin material for the present pending a lull investigation.

THE DEAD CHILDREN. BRISBANE, Jan. 30.

The names of the dead in the Bundaberg tragedy are: Thomas Robinson aged 5: William Robinson. I ; Morvyn Robinson, 2; Keith Baker, J; Edwaid Baker, 5: George Baker. 2; Monica Sheppard, 2: Mary Sheppard. 5; Joan Petersen. 5; Myrtle Brennan. 3; also I,allies Coates and Follctt. Those in a serious condition arc: Betty Peterson. Brenda Drew. John Sheppard, William Sheppard, Ernest Docket.