It took 10 days and the death of 12 full-term pregnant women in Jodhpur in Rajasthan before state health authorities woke up to suspect that all might have died after being administered "infected" intravenous "dextrose and ringer lactose" fluids. Five pregnant women are in a "serious condition," doctors said.

Two foetuses have died in utero (before being born) while the other 10 survived  and these infants are said to be out of danger.

Following confirmation of lab reports in the Women and Child Wing of the state government Umaid Hospital  the largest in the city  that several batches of IV fluids manufactured by the same company were tainted, health officials have recalled all batches of these fluids, lodged an FIR against the manufacturer and issued a statewide alert against its use.

A three-member panel of doctors has been constituted to probe the deaths.

Umaid Hospital Superintendent N G Chaggani told The Indian Express that the first death occurred on February 13.

"All the women died after severe haemorrhaging and, for now, we believe the cause might be an infection after they were administered tainted IV fluids. An FIR has been lodged against Anshul Pharma, the local company that supplied the fluids," Chaggani said. No one from the company was available for comment tonight.

Chaggani said the fluids were manufactured by Indore-based Parental Surgical India Ltd.

Chaggani added that it was inconclusive whether all the 12 deaths were caused by contaminated IV fluids.

"We are still waiting for some reports but cannot say with authority that infected IV fluids caused all the deaths. However, our lab reports show that several batches of five per cent dextrose and ringer lactose were indeed contaminated with gram negative and positive bacteria," Chaggani said.

When asked why it took so long, Dr R K Asari, principal of S N Medical College, which is attached to the hospital, said: "We held a meeting on February 16 but didn't zero in on the tainted fluids then. We sent some samples for testing and received confirmed reports of contamination on February 22."

... contd.

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