On May 5, the two-month-old girl was taken to a health clinic in Nguyen Trai Commune, Thuong Tin district, Hanoi to be given the Quinvaxem vaccine, designed to protect infant children from five potentially deadly diseases. The baby showed no ill-effects from the vaccination after it was administered, so doctors allowed her to be taken home.
On the morning of May 6, the baby had a high fever coupled with coughing and was taken to Thuong Tin General Hospital where she was examined by doctors. Her health quickly returned to normal and she was given the all clear.
Back at home, the baby's breathing rapidly deteriorated and she was rushed back to Thuong Tin General Hospital before being transferred to Saint Paul's Hospital, where she died.
On the afternoon of May 9, The Professional Council of Hanoi’s Department of Health held a meeting and came to an initial conclusion that the baby died from anaphylactic shock, a severe and sometimes fatal allergic reaction to a foreign substance inserted into the body.
She is the third child to die in Vietnam after receiving Quinvaxem since the beginning of 2016. In February and March, a five-month-old baby and a one-year-old child died after being vaccinated.