Officials from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have revealed that about 250 immigrant children at a detention facility in Texas were given adult dose of hepatitis A vaccine.
ICE spokesman Richard Rocha said that no adverse reaction has yet been reported as of Saturday and while no significant adverse reaction were actually expected, health experts said that the children at the center who were administered with the vaccine this week, would be monitored for any side effects in the next few days.
In a statement, Rocha said that the parents at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley were already advised by health professionals about possible side effects and the services were made available in several languages.
Hepatitis A is a serious infection of the liver that can spread to individuals who did not receive vaccination against the virus. The disease is often transmitted by consuming contaminated food or water. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that although the vaccine for hepatitis A is very safe, side effects have been reported.
Peter Hotez, from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said that the children were possibly given double the pediatric dosage of the vaccine. He also expressed concern that the children should be monitored regardless that they will not likely experience complications.
"I'm guessing there will not be significant effects," Hotez said. "If anything, you may get a higher immune response."
The Office of Health Affairs of the Department of Homeland Security and ICE are now investigating how the mix-up happened at the Texan detention center and how such mistakes can be prevented from happening again in the future.
The center, located about 70 miles southwest of San Antonio, currently hold about 2,000 women and children mostly from Central America who entered the country via Mexico to seek asylum. It is one of the three detention centers that hold immigrant mothers and their children who entered the U.S. illegally.
Crystal Williams, the executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, which provided pro-bono legal services to people held in detention facilities pointed out that volunteers have long noticed disturbing patterns of what seems to be inadequate health care in these facilities albeit ICE has previously stated that healthcare professionals at these centers offer quality medical care and that the agency seriously takes the safety, health and welfare of those under its care.
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