15 children die after vaccination

BEIRUT // At least 15 children died after receiving vaccinations in rebel-held parts of Syria, and activists said yesterday that the death toll from two days of government airstrikes in the central city of Talbiseh climbed to nearly 50.

The children, some just babies, all showed signs of “severe allergic shock” about an hour after they were given a second round of measles vaccinations in the north-western province of Idlib on Tuesday. Many choked to death as their bodies swelled, said Abdullah Ajaj, a doctor who administered the vaccinations in the town of Jarjanaz.

It was unclear what killed the children, but Dr Ajaj said that they all exhibited the same symptoms to varying degrees. He said it was the first time he had seen such symptoms after vaccinations.

“There was shouting and screaming, it was hard for the parents. You get your child vaccinated and then you find your child dying, it’s very hard,” he said. There were not enough respirators in the clinic, making the situation even worse, he said.

* Associated Press