Neglect After Receiving Flu Vaccination Adverse Event Reports Puts Jeonnam Province Administration 'On the Hot Seat'

Leg Paralysis Symptoms After Vaccination in Middle School Student... Jeonnam Province Has Not Submitted Complaint Documents to KDCA

Guardian: "Only One Call in Over 100 Days Since Submission," Province Explains "Serious COVID-19 Situation"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] A middle school student in the Jeonnam region showed adverse reactions after receiving a flu vaccination and reported it to health authorities, but it was revealed that related documents were neglected for nearly four months, putting Jeonnam Province's administration under scrutiny.

According to Jeonnam Province and the informant on the 27th, middle school student A received a flu vaccination at a nearby hospital last October.

Afterwards, A developed a fever and did not attend school, received medication at the hospital, and returned to school the next day as symptoms improved. However, A left school early due to numbness and pain in her legs.

When her condition did not improve at home, A’s father, Mr. B, informed the Mokpo City Health Center and admitted A to the hospital.

As her condition worsened, she was transferred to a university hospital and had to live in a wheelchair while receiving rehabilitation treatment for about a month.

Accordingly, Mr. B reported the adverse reaction to the flu vaccination to the Mokpo City Health Center around mid-January, and the documents were received by Jeonnam Province on the 23rd of the same month.

Two days later, Mr. B received a phone call from an epidemiologist at Jeonnam Province inquiring about his daughter’s condition, but he did not receive any further contact afterward.

As the 120-day deadline for processing the complaint approached, Mr. B inquired with the health authorities about the results and received the absurd response that “the epidemiological investigation was not completed, so it could not be forwarded to the central government.”

Mr. B expressed his frustration, saying, “Is it even reasonable that after a brief phone call of about two minutes on January 25th, there was no contact at all, and the epidemiological investigation was not conducted for over four months?”

He immediately visited Jeonnam Province to retrieve the submitted documents and met with the person in charge, but according to Mr. B, he heard an even more ridiculous excuse.

They said they could not pay attention due to the severe COVID-19 situation.

Mr. B lamented, “I checked the mailbox every day while commuting, waiting only for contact, and for over 100 days, our family endured painful days taking care of our daughter’s condition and sending her to and from school. They only offered excuses about their heavy workload without a sincere apology for the omission caused by their mistake.”

He added, “Regardless of compensation, their attitude of treating complaints as trivial is heartbreaking. The attitude of public officials who look down on powerless citizens must change.”

In response, a Jeonnam Province official stated, “At that time, there were only about 10 days left in the submission period to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and the first epidemiological investigation was delayed. Also, nearly 300 COVID-19 cases occurred monthly in the Jeonnam region, which seems to have caused omissions due to workload.” He added, “We should have offered consolation and understood the complainant’s position, and we will directly contact them to apologize for this matter.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.