Family of man who died due to tetanus shot awarded NT$2.5 million

Taipei, Sept. 7 (CNA) The family of a man who died from an adverse reaction to the tetanus vaccine has received NT$2.5 million (US$78,026) in compensation, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

The case involves a New Taipei citizen in his 50s who was given a tetanus shot after being bitten by a dog, said Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞), deputy director-general of the ministry's Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

After an unspecified period of time, the man eventually died in hospital due to heart and lung failure brought on by an allergic reaction to tetanus antibodies.

An autopsy showed that other factors in the man's death included emphysema, pulmonary hypertension and coronary artery disease, the CDC said.

The compensation amount was decided based on medical records, clinical responses and related tests by the ministry's Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) in a recent meeting.

The man's family would also get an additional NT$300,000 for funeral expenses, the CDC said.

The CDC added that the tetanus vaccine, known as tetanus toxoid, may cause shock due to an allergic reaction in approximately one to three out of 100,000 cases.

This is the first time the family of a deceased tetanus vaccine recipient has received compensation under the VICP, Lo noted.