Four infants die after hepatitis B vaccine injection

A newborn died in Shenzhen on Tuesday, after being given a vaccine for hepatitis B. It was the fourth suspicious infant death this month after the use of a hepatitis vaccine made by the same company. The national drug administration has suspended all hepatitis B vaccines from the company, until an investigation is completed.

The joy of a newborn child turned into a family tragedy.

In Shenzhen on Tuesday, an infant, perfectly healthy at birth, survived for less than 80 minutes.

The newborn suffered from breathing difficulties minutes after receiving a hepatitis B vaccine injection.

"The baby was suddenly in a critical condition. We immediately carried out emergency treatment and tried our best, but the baby did not survive." He Yiping, deputy director of Nanwan People's Hospital in Shenzhen, said.

Earlier this month, three similar cases were reported in Central China's Hunan Province. Two babies died, and one is still in intensive care. They all received a Hepatitis B vaccine from the same company. The family have questioned the safety of the vaccine, but local Center for Disease Control says the injections appear to be in order.

"The vaccine used had a valid batch number and production permit, and were within the use-by date. There shouldn't be any problem." Staff from Changning Disease Control Center, said.

Another baby died in Sichuan Province. As the news broke, the Shenzhen based vaccine maker, Biokangtai, issued an official announcement and said the babies died from other causes, and not from its product.

"According to our quality check, there is nothing wrong with our product safety." Zhy Zhengyu, quality control manager of Shenzhen Biokangtai Compamy Ltd., said.

The two batches of vaccine total just under half a million shots. Most unused shots were been suspended pending further investigation. And, on Friday, the national food and drug authorities ordered a complete suspension of the vaccine from Biokangtai. The cause of death of the four babies is still under investigation.