A newborn baby boy is said to be fighting for his life after medics at Scunthorpe General Hospital injected him with 10 times the normal dose of TB (tuberculosis) vaccine.

The Daily Mail reports that the unnamed baby was injected on 5 February with 0.5mg of the BCG vaccine instead of the usual dose of 0.05mg.

Personal injury lawyers for the child’s family say he is now being treated by an immunologist at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, with help from the poisons agency.

The child’s family wishes to remain anonymous, but a solicitor acting on behalf of the family  issued a statement:

'This is a difficult time for the baby's family.

'Their baby is receiving treatment for TB, which has its own side-effects, but they are hopeful that the treatment will be successful, with no long-term damage to their baby's health.

'However, this case raises important questions about basic systems in hospitals to ensure the safe administration of drugs, including vaccines.’

Spokesman for Scunthorpe General Hospital, Simon Rigg, said:

'We launched a full investigation as soon as we found out about the incident. That investigation is ongoing and we will continue to keep the parents informed as to the progress of that investigation.’

The family’s solicitor added:

'It is important that we get answers about how and why this has happened. It is unclear how many people have been affected, but we have received reports that others may also have been given the same overdose.’

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