AGARTALA, June 12 (TIWN): The 3 member central expert team, who arrived Tripura to probe the JE (Japanese Encephalitis) vaccination deaths, had left for Delhi on Thursday. Enquiry had already been conducted by team , final report to be tabled to the state government soon, said health official on Thursday evening at Secretariat. However, JE vaccination in the state has been suspended until the final report of the team is placed before the government. Talking to TIWN on Thursday evening, a state health official said that after conducting enquiry it has been found that children deaths are not related to the vaccination as they were suffering from illness prior to the vaccine was administered. Health Dept sources said that they would examine the report prepared on the basis of their observation in New Delhi and likely to send their final report to the Tripura Government at the earliest. The team on June 10 submitted a report based on their observation to Health Secretary M. Nagaraju and held a discussion at Civil secretariat. However, the expert team of Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) North Zone after conducting the inquiry, had requested the state health officials to keep suspending the vaccination programme until they issue a green signal to it. A total of three school children died after being administered by JE vaccination, as per the government official record. They are from three different districts of the state. However later following the deaths of three children the State Govt. had requested the centre to send an expert team to probe the JE Vaccination deaths.

Based on their observation, the delegation found that Amit Hassan of Sonamura Sub Division underwent a surgery prior to 15 days of the vaccination programme, he was also reported to having heart, kidney and lung related ailments and he had high fever when he was administered the vaccination.

Kritika Das from Kamalasagar was found germs of Measles Encephalopathy on her body from and Saheli Debbarma was diagnosed with lung problem before she went for vaccination.

Krittika was administered the vaccine on May 25 and she died in Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) from measles infection. Shoheli Debbarma (14) of Mandai died on May 31 at AMRI Hospital, Kolkata, after getting the shot on May 27.

However it is to be mentioned here that since after the deaths of three children were reported after being administered with JE vaccination, a section of guardians and students refused to take the vaccination following which the vaccination programme has been stopped in some parts.

On its first phase the nationwide JE vaccination programme started at Tripura West District and Sepahijala District. It is only in Tripura from where the deaths were reported after the vaccination allegedly due to the negligence of the doctors engaged to inject the vaccine.

The anti-Japanese Encephalitis vaccination programme was started in three districts comprising of West, Khowai and Sepahijala from May 23 till June 4.