Hepatitis A Vaccine in Adult Dose Given to Children in Detention Center

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Hepatitis A is a liver disorder that can be acquired through bad hygiene and poor sanitation. Vaccines are used to help prevent HAV infection. The older the patient, the higher the dosage of vaccine. However, this does not seem to be the case in a Texas detention facility.

Fox News reports that according to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), around 250 immigrant children detained in a facility in Dilley, Texas have been given the adult dosage of hepatitis A vaccines earlier this week. Spokesperson Richard Rocha says the children's parents have already been advised and counseled about potential side effects, although none of the children have shown any adverse risks yet.

Health professionals will continuously monitor the situation over the next five days. Peter J. Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, believes there will be no side effects, only a possible higher immunity to the vaccine.

Los Angeles Times writes that the US Center for Disease Control classifies hepatitis A as an infectious and serious liver disease that can be easily spread through close contact and consumption of contaminated foods. Although the vaccine is safe, there are previously reported cases that have shown adverse effects. The CDC also noted that around 100 deaths from liver failure due to hepatitis A are being recorded annually.

International Business Times  adds that ICE and the Office of Health Affairs of the Department of Homeland Security are already looking for the cause of the dosage mix-up, and preparing measures to avoid the same error in the future.

The Texas facility, constructed in 2014, is one of the three detention facilities that holds illegal immigrants. Activists called for the closure of the centers due to substandard services. Bethany Carson, immigration policy researcher and organizer of Grassroots Leadership, said these facilities lock up immigrants, causing lasting mental trauma and distress to people.

In addition, Crystal Williams, the executive director of American Immigration Lawyers Associations, pointed out that volunteers have long noticed the inadequacy in health care of these detention facilities. The recent mistake can prove how appalling the situation truly is, she adds, according to Tech Times.