The postmortem examination revealed that the baby died due to laryngeal spasm, which led to aspiration of food into the lungs. Officials sent the stomach contents for laboratory examination. The final report is awaited.
Published Oct 13, 2025 | 11:45 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 13, 2025 | 1:31 PM
Synopsis: Kangti PHC medical officer Dr Nagamani said the same batch of vials had been distributed to all villages in the mandal. She added that no similar incidents were reported elsewhere. Officials administered pulse polio drops to 108 children through the same vial at the same booth. No adverse reactions were recorded in them.
A three-month-old baby boy died on Sunday, 12 October, minutes after being administered polio drops at Bhimra village in Kangti mandal of Telangana’s Sangareddy district, prompting an investigation by health officials.
The infant, the fourth child of Swarnalatha and Umakanth after three daughters, received the drops from ASHAs, Roja, Samudra, and Swaroopa at around 12 noon. Officials kept the baby under observation till 12:30 pm. The parents then took him home.
Around 1 pm, the parents brought the baby back to the booth after he began crying continuously and vomited once. The mother had fed the boy a bottle of milk at home.
The ASHA on duty advised the parents to take the baby to Kangti Primary Health Care for medical examination. The parents took the baby to a private doctor in Kangti at around 2 pm instead.
“We then tried taking him to a doctor in the village, but he was not there, then the people who gave polio drops saw him and said that they gave the same medicine given to all, and nothing was wrong with it. He was continuously crying, we didn’t know what to do, and that was it,” the parents said.
The Kangti PHC medical officer noticed the baby frothing, and lips turning blue. The child by then, had stopped breathing. The doctor declared the baby dead at around 2:15 pm. Officials shifted the body to the government hospital in Narayankhed for a postmortem examination.
The postmortem examination revealed that the baby died due to laryngeal spasm, which led to aspiration of food into the lungs. Officials sent the stomach contents for laboratory examination. The final report is awaited.
“The baby was given pulse polio drops at around 12 noon and was kept under observation till 12.30 pm. During this time, the baby was normal and did not show any problems. The parents took the baby home,” DMHO Dr Naga Nirmala said.
Kangti PHC medical officer Dr Nagamani said the same batch of vials had been distributed to all villages in the mandal. She added that no similar incidents were reported elsewhere. Officials administered pulse polio drops to 108 children through the same vial at the same booth. No adverse reactions were recorded in them.
Collector P Pravinya directed the DMHO to submit a comprehensive report. District police registered a case of death under suspicious circumstances.
The incident occurred on the first day of the state’s Pulse Polio Special Drive. Dr Sangeetha Satyanarayana, Commissioner of Health & Family Welfare, launched the programme across six districts. The programme aimed to vaccinate 17,32,171 children below five years of age. Officials set up 6,897 booths for the drive.
The drive administered polio drops to 16,35,432 children on Sunday, achieving 94.4% of the target population. Health department staff conducted house-to-house visits on Monday and Tuesday to vaccinate remaining children.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
