In November, a doctor administered a completely wrong vaccine during a vaccination campaign at a primary school in Rif-Rehhof (Tennengau/Salzburg). The parents of the 33 affected children were upset. The prosecutor’s office ruled for negligent bodily injury. However, the prosecution has now dropped the case.
In fact, the 33 second graders, most of them seven years old, should have received a quadruple vaccination against polio, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. However, the vaccinating doctor injected them with a preparation against HPV (human papillomavirus), which protects against cervical cancer, among other things. The parents had not given permission for this drug. In addition, it is only approved for children over the age of nine.
Investigations halted
The prosecutor’s office responded and launched an investigation into negligent bodily injury. However, it has been clear since Tuesday: the doctor and GGD employee involved need not fear criminal setbacks. “The investigation was stopped,” explains Elena Haslinger of the Salzburg public prosecutor’s office.
According to the public prosecutor, the doctor’s assistant accidentally received the wrong cool box. The vaccination doctor then reached only for the prepared syringes with the supposedly correct vaccine. The accident was only noticed when it was the turn of the fourth graders, who should have been vaccinated against HPV.
Children were not harmed by the vaccine
The children did well after the vaccination. In no case was health affected any longer, says Haslinger. In this case, the law provides for impunity for simple negligence, provided that there is no damage to health that lasts more than 14 days. Also: “We got the information from the Ministry of Health that no increased risk is to be expected,” adds Haslinger. The preparation would therefore work safely and harmlessly in children under nine years of age.
Source: Krone
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