Vaccines have 'proved to be safe'
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Public Health Ministry yesterday affirmed that the 19 vaccines available in Thailand were safe to use.
It said that last year there were only 788 cases in 72 provinces in which complications developed after the vaccination.
Most such cases were in the Northeast and 81 per cent of the patients suffered mild complications (pain and swelling), recovering within three days, Public Health permanent secretary Dr Paijit Worajit said.
There were 14 deaths after vaccination, but investigation found that the fatality had nothing to do with the vaccines.
Presiding over a workshop attended by health officials from 12 disease-control zones, Paijit said children up to the age of 12 were given 10 basic vaccines on 14 occasions besides seasonal/additional vaccines. The ministry assigned 1,200 disease investigation teams to follow through post-vaccination safety, a system that leaves Thailand among the 10 countries that have received World Health Organisation's approval, he added.
