Mexico says vaccine not to blame for baby deaths

Mexican health authorities on Tuesday said a bacteria was responsible for the deaths last weekend of two babies and for sickening 29 others—not a vaccine as initially feared.

The children became sick after getting shots against Hepatitis B in the indigenous town of Simojovel, southern Chiapas state.

"The fault is not on vaccines that were defective or medically bad," said Jose Antonio Gonzalez, director general of the IMSS national public health care system.

"The contamination comes from outside. Certain bacterias have been found," he said. "We have yet to determine the type of bacteria and origin of the external contamination."

Ten of 24 children who were still in a hospital will be released on Tuesday and remain under medical watch for 72 hours, he said.

Two of six children who were in serious condition are now stable.

Gonzalez stressed that the government will continue its vaccination campaigns "because there is no risk."

The IMSS said it had only suspended the lots of the hepatitis vaccine used in Simojovel.

© 2015 AFP