3 newborns die in Vietnam after Hep B shots, WHO team to investigate

Vietnam has suspended the use of a Hepatitis B vaccine after three newborns died and another became seriously ill following immunization, a World Health Organization spokeswoman said Thursday.

A WHO team from Geneva is expected to arrive this week to investigate the cases that occurred between April 23 and May 7 in southern Ho Chi Minh City, central Ha Tinh province and northern Thanh Hoa province, said WHO spokeswoman Dida Connor in Hanoi.

One baby fully recovered after becoming ill.

All four babies went into shock after being given "the LG Hepatitis B vaccine," the Vietnam News Agency reported, citing Dr. Do Si Hien, chairman of the National Vaccination Program. The report did not elaborate.

The WHO-approved vaccine is made by LG Life Sciences Ltd. of South Korea, and it is distributed worldwide. The U.N. health agency's Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals has asked that countries stop using shots from the affected batches until the cause of the illness can be determined, Connor said.

Vietnam, however, has suspended use of all Hepatitis B vaccines produced by the company until the investigation is complete, she said.

An official at LG Life Sciences in Seoul said this is the only time the vaccine has been investigated since it was first produced in 1992. Some 500 million doses have been sold in around 60 countries since then.

"We expect that (the deaths) were not caused by any defects in the product," said the official, who declined to give his name, citing office protocol.

He said the company has sent officials to Vietnam to assist with the WHO investigation.

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver. It is largely transmitted through sexual contact and by sharing dirty needles. It kills about 1 million people annually and affects about 350 million people worldwide, the majority of them in Asia and Africa. Infection can lead to chronic liver problems, including cancer.