A 17 Year Old Girl From Tamil Nadu Loses Her Vision Just Days After Receiving The Covid Vaccine
Update: 2022-03-09 10:45 IST
A 17-year-old girl at Sholingur Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Ranipet, was given the Covid-19 vaccine at her school on January 4, 2022. Her parents claimed that she became ill the next day and had to be admitted to the hospital. She eventually lost her sight as a result.
Dr V Manimaran, Ranipet's Deputy Director of Health Services, said he had reported the case to the commission investigating Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI). Dr. J Radhakrishnan, the Secretary of Health, noted that AEFI committees at the district, state, and national levels have access to essential data. They would look into the situation, he added, declining to further.
However, her mother has been rushing from one hospital to the next for the child's care, from Sholinghur to Ranipet, Vellore to Chennai. Despite the fact that Ranipet district officials informed this reporter that her treatment will be funded under the CM's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme, the family said they have yet to get any assistance. The girl was initially diagnosed with connective tissue disease at one hospital. Every doctor they've met has informed them she won't be able to regain her vision with treatment.
The district management and health department urged them to go here and there for treatment. She complained to the Collector, who promised them that she will be treated under the CMCHIS. But now they don't even return her calls. Tamil Selvi and her husband both work for a daily pay.
Dr. T Jacob John, a well-known virologist, believes the vaccine may have triggered symptoms of a pre-existing problem rather than causing the ailment. He stated that such a condition does not appear overnight, and studies must look for signs of prior pathology. To prevent similar situations in other people who are vulnerable, a thorough knowledge of the sequence is required.
This is not the single time it is recorded that twenty days after she was immunised, another girl from the same school was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome that meant as a disorder in which the immune system assaults the nerves. A relative of the girl said the family has spent over '6 lakh on her care so far and has received no assistance from the government. Dr. Manimaran was unsure if this case had been reported to the AEFI panel.
According to Dr. Jacob John, the illness is known to occur as an extremely rare reaction to numerous immunizations and it is treatable. He did, however, urge for better oversight and management of such cases. Seeing the lack of responsibility in the monitoring and management of AEFI is disheartening. He added that because vaccination is a government initiative, the government should bear responsibility for treating these girls. These cases should also be reported to the vaccine regulating authorities.