Court seeks responses on controversial vaccine

The vaccine is said to provide combined immunity against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, Hepatitis-B and H influenza-B or Hib.

(Photo: Manorama)

New Delhi:  The court on Monday issued notices to Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Drug Controller General of India, Serum Institute of India (Pune) and CMC on a PIL filed by senior doctor Yogesh Jain.

Appearing for the petitioner senior counsel Colin Gonsalves told a Bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam that the use of the vaccine should be stopped in the country as it had already been banned in other countries such as the US, Australia, the UK and Japan and some European nations.

The vaccine is said to provide combined immunity against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, Hepatitis-B and H influenza-B or Hib.

After briefly hearing the submissions of Gonslaves, the Chief Justice directed the respondents to file their replies within four weeks.

Doctor Jain maintains that the use of the vaccine had led to deaths in Pakistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

Source: New Indian Express