250 children in Texas given adult dosages of hepatitis A vaccine

According to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, approximately 250 children at a Texas detention center were given adult dosages of the hepatitis A vaccine. It has been reported by the Los Angeles Times that there are no reports regarding adverse side effects.

As per reports, healthcare professionals at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley are monitoring the children. According to ICE, "Parents at the facility were advised and counseled by medical professionals about potential side effects, with services made available in multiple languages".

Hepatitis A, which is a serious liver disease, spreads to people who haven’t received dosages of the hepatitis A vaccine. Homeland Security has been asked for closing detention centers, which are not considered safe for children.

According to ICE spokesman Richard Rocha, over the next five days, health care professionals will be monitoring the children for any potential side effects; however, they are not expecting anything like that. Rocha said that medical professionals advised and counseled parents at the facility regarding potential side effects.

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the hepatitis A virus can lead to liver infection and the disease is communicated between individuals and also spreads through the consumption of contaminated water or food.

According to Dr. Peter J. Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, the children probably were administered with double pediatric dosage of the vaccine. He added that it is important to monitor them; however, no short or long-term complications are expected.