Pulse polio vaccine rumours scare Bangalore, Chennai

Bangalore, Dec 22: Bangalore on Sunday, Dec 21 midnight witnessed pandemonium regarding the pulse polio vaccination. Several SMSs and rumours scared Bangaloreans that the pulse polio vaccine administered had killed one child and had left several children serious. Huge crowds gathered outside hospitals after rumours spread.

Bowring Hospital saw thousands of people gather from all over the city, with some members of the crowd pelting stones at vehicles parked inside the hospital premises.

The police and hospital authorities have dismissed reports of deaths due to polio vaccine after a local television channel first flashed the report, saying they are baseless rumours. Traffic on all major routes leading to the hospital was blocked.

Dr H Satish Chandra, Medical Superintendent, Bowring Hospital dismissed these rumours as baseless. He said this scheme has been on for years, but this is the first time that a rumour like this has spread. He went on to say that the rumour first spread in Tamil Nadu, but has now spread to Karnataka.

B K Singh, DCP, Bangalore (East) also refuted the rumours saying, no one had fallen ill, and there was no casualty either.

Chennai also panics

Rumours regarding administered pulse polio vaccine was also seen in Tamil Nadu including Chennai. There were rumours of babies dying after being administered pulse poilio drops, leading to violence in some parts of the city and districts on Sunday, Dec 21. In Chennai miscreants who had mingled with local residents went on a rampage at the Tambaram Taluk Government Hospital at Chrompet on Sunday, Dec 21 evening.

It all started with a private television, owing allegiance to an opposition party, running a scroll claiming that a child in Erode district had died after taking the polio drops.

The news spead, and around 300 residents including panic-stricken parents in and around Tambaram district gathered outside the hospital and demanded an explanation from the hospital authorities about the efficacy of the polio drops administered to their children. Since no senior official was around, the agitated crowd went on a rampage breaking window panes and tables and chairs at the casualty ward of the hospital. They also damaged a computer and blood pressure checking machine at the ward.

The police arrived on the spot after learning about the violence and dispersed the crowd. To ensure that the miscreants did not reassemble, a large posse of policemen was posted in front of the hospital.

OneIndia News (Withinputs from Agencies)