Unpredictable Pain

KG

INTRO

But for a very small number of people, vaccinations can lead to severe side effects.

In today's China Report, we take you to eastern Shandong Province to visit two families whose children have suffered after being given vaccines.

PKG

When Hu Haitao watched his son Hu Bing swallow the small white pills meant to protect him from polio, he never imagined what the end result would be.

Fourteen days after taking the vaccine, the four-and-a-half-month-old was on life support.

SOUNDBITE (CHINESE) HU HAITAO, Hu Bing's father:

"My baby experienced diarrhea and respiratory failure. He was critically ill and had to stay in the intensive care unit."

What followed next was every parent' s worst nightmare.

Little Hu Bing slipped into a coma and suffered heart failure.

After three days of treatment at a hospital in Shandong's capital Jinan, the baby recovered, but his left leg was left paralyzed.

SOUNDBITE: HU HAITAO, Hu Bing' s Father

"The doctor said my baby was infected by a virus, but didn't give a more specific explanation."

That was in 2005, but the story sounds familiar to mother Ma Yongmin.

Her daughter Zhang Liyang received the polio vaccine in December 2012.

Nine days later, the six-year-old was also in hospital.

After taking the vaccine, the child complained of neck pain.

SOUNDBITE: MA YONGMIN, Zhang Liyang's mother

"On the morning of December 25th, my daughter felt pain in her back and was reluctant to go to school. At first I thought she just didn't want to go to school. But she kept complaining. So her father took her to hospital."

SOUNDBITE: ZHANG GONGXIAN, Zhang Liyang's father

"The doctor asked me if she had received any vaccinations, I told him 'yes, she had a varicella vaccination.' The doctor told me that the vaccine can possibly lead to some illness, but we had no idea it could be so bad."

Little Zhang then lost feeling below the waist.

Desperate for answers, her father took her to a major hospital, also in Jinan, where doctors diagnosed her with myelitis, or inflammation of the bone marrow in her spinal cord.

SOUNDBITE: SHI JIMING, Zhang Liyang's physician:

"She suffered from incontinence and her legs weren't reactive to pain or temperature changes. From a medical perspective, she was paralyzed from the waist down.

Once a happy six-year-old who loved dancing and singing, Zhang is now confined to her bed.

Her days are spent watching cartoons. Sometimes her parents tie her to a makeshift rack so she can experience the sensation of standing.

Young Zhang has been receiving therapy for her condition, but she is not expected to walk again.

SOUNDBITE: SHI JIMING, Zhang Liyang's physician:

"The recovery is not going well. There's little hope of a complete recovery."

A vaccination works by administrating an antigenic material to stimulate an individual's immune system.

The immune system then develops immunity to the pathogen being targeted.

The benefits of vaccination have been widely accepted globally.

Although safe for the vast majority of the population, those with an impaired immune system may suffer complications.

According to Dr Wang, unwanted reactions to vaccinations can vary.

Some recipients experience sudden swelling of the organs, which can be cured with timely treatment.

Some however develop Epilepsy. Others suffer irreversible damage to their bodies, an effect referred to as vaccine sequelae.

Zhang's father had never heard of vaccine sequelae until his daughter became ill.

SOUNDBITE: ZHANG GONGXIAN, Zhang Liyang's father

"I had never considered such terrible consequences. The doctor only told us how good the vaccine would be, but never said anything about possible side effects."

Dr Wang Yu said vaccine sequelae can theoretically be prevented through preliminary testing to measure a person's risk of developing an adverse reaction. But these tests are not technically feasible.

Wang said that is a question that baffles the medical world.

According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, around 500 million vaccinations were given in China last year.

Adverse reactions accounted for roughly one in every one million vaccinations, affecting about 500 people.

Dr Wang warned it can take several days to several months for a patient to present symptoms of an adverse reaction, making it even more difficult to identify sequelae.

It was only after discussing similarities between his son's illness and those of a friend's child that Hu stumbled upon the truth.

After his son' s vaccination in 2005 and the subsequent results, he carried out exhaustive research on adverse effects.

Hu decided to have his child tested to see if his illness was caused by the shot.

14 months later he received the result. He cried for two hours.

SOUNDBITE: HU HAITAO, Hu Bing' s Father

"I had very mixed feelings. On the one hand, I was happy to finally have some answers but, on the other hand, it meant that my son would be permanently disabled."

But Zhang is still working to get the test results for his daughter.

He has already spent more than 16,000 U.S. dollars on medical treatment.

But debt is still not the family's biggest concern.

SOUNDBITE: ZHANG GONGXIAN, Zhang Liyang's father

"Compared to our child's future, the debt means nothing to us. What can she do if her condition doesn't improve?"

The Zhang family's days are now filled with doctors' appointments and multiple therapy treatments in their never-ending battle to try and help her walk again.

Their mornings start early with Zhang taking his daughter to physical therapy.

They then travel to another clinic for acupuncture, before another round of physical therapy in the afternoon.

CNC correspondent: How long do you stand like this?

Zhang Liyang: Usually an hour.

CNC correspondent: What do you do while standing?

Zhang Liyang: Watching TV.

Despite their sad stories, the Hu and Zhang families are not alone.

Other parents are seeking both help and compensation from the government, particularly those whose children are still in the early stages of their illnesses.

The Chinese government provides means-tested compensation to sequelae victims, the maximum compensation ranges from 17,000 to 51,000 dollars based on local annual income.

However, many families say the compensation is not enough.

xHu's family has spent more than 34,000 dollars treating their son so far.

He's not sure how much more they will have to spend.

SOUNDBITE; HU HAITAO, Hu Bing' s Father

"I think there should be a system created as soon as possible to help us. For instance, if they took just one cent from each vaccine, it would amount to a lot of money. That money could be used to help children and families like ours. It would help a lot. Our child has already passed the optimal treatment time."

Eleven types of free vaccines are currently on offer to children born in China.

The greater the number of vaccines, the greater the risk of complications.

Dr Wang said multi-function vaccines are currently being used in developed countries, helping to lower the risks posed by multiple vaccinations.

But these new technologies are not being used in China yet.

He also warned that some vaccines are being produced in China using outdated methods, some dating back 50 years.