Government fails those affected by contaminated vaccines given by the IMSS in La Pimienta

By Angeles Mariscal, Chiapas Paralelo, December 3, 2015

Residents of La Pimienta march to denounce that no medical follow-up care has been given to the survivors of contaminated vaccinations.

No clinic, no doctor, no access road for La Pimienta

One thousand villagers from La Pimienta held a demonstration to denounce a failure to monitor the health of the 29 children who were seriously affected – two more died – after staff from the IMSS applied contaminated vaccines on 8th May.

Men and women of the Tzeltal ethnic group left La Pimienta in the municipality of Simojovel, for a march and occupation at the municipal headquarters.

Here they read a statement in which they explained that after what happened, the state and federal governments signed an agreement with representatives of the community and parents of the surviving children and the two deceased, where they pledged, among other things, to provide effective health follow-up and monitoring.

"We have had to go to private doctors. We have to travel to the municipal headquarters because La Pimienta has no permanent doctor, and the children continue to have fever and pain," said one parent.

According to the people who demonstrated, the services in the IMSS clinic in the community of La Pimienta remained deficient, as was the case last May, when IMSS staff applied the vaccines and contaminated them in the process.

No clinic, no doctor, no access road to La Pimienta.

"There are no drugs, there is no 24 hour doctor and there is no team to help us," said the banners the demonstrators carried.

This situation, they said, affects families who live there, but especially the children who still have repercussions.

They explained that the agreement reached by the federal and state governments with the community was for a permanent medical service, with a 24 hour doctor, a supply of medication, an ambulance service, and specialized care for the 29 children who were sick.

In addition to health services, the state government promised to restore the access road to the community, which remains unpaved; and build two bridges where conditions prevent the inhabitants of La Pimienta from travelling when there are rains or landslides.

Another unfulfilled commitment is the construction of two classrooms and recreation centres. The demonstrators demanded that the state government and federal fulfil the agreements.

It should be noted that after the death of the two infants and the effects on the health of 29 more, the IMSS announced that this was due to negligence in biological application.

Only in November, it was announced that parents of babies who died – Yadira, 1 month and 2 days, and Emmanuel Francisco, 28 days- have sued the IMSS for compensation of 102.8 million pesos.

http://www.chiapasparalelo.com/noticias/chiapas/2015/12/incumple-gobierno-con-afectados-por-vacunas-contaminadas-aplicadas-por-el-imss-en-la-pimienta/

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