In Almaty, a 14-year-old teenager died a week after an antibiotic injection at a polyclinic

Death after an injection

In Almaty, a 14-year-old schoolboy named Maxim died a week after receiving an antibiotic injection at City Polyclinic No. 37. This was reported by Kazakhstan's Seventh Channel citing a Life.ru publication. According to the boy's mother, Maria Kubareva, he fell ill almost immediately after the injection: 'He said he felt unwell, that his whole body was shooting with pain. I practically had to carry him myself, because the reaction came on so suddenly.' The teenager was taken to the Center for Pediatric Emergency Medical Care and put on a ventilator, but he died seven days later.

What preceded the incident

In early August, the parents noticed swelling of the son's lymph nodes. The family visited various medical facilities, and the teenager underwent two courses of treatment with antibiotics and other medications, but the problem persisted. On October 21, he was taken to an infectious disease specialist at Polyclinic No. 37, where the doctor prescribed an antibiotic and, according to the mother, warned that a sensitivity test was needed before administering the drug. The woman recalls that one nurse asked another about the dosage — 0.5 — after which an intramuscular injection was given. The mother tried to revive her son with smelling salts, and a medical worker administered another drug, presumably an anti-shock medication, but the boy began having convulsions and lost consciousness.

The family's claims and the authorities' response

The parents believe their son developed a severe allergic reaction to the antibiotic and are demanding an investigation into whether the procedure was performed correctly and into the actions of the medical staff. According to Maxim's father, the amount of the drug stated in the medical documents differs from the dosage the nurses discussed before the injection, and in the copy of the procedures log, as the parents claim, some fields were left blank. The police of Almaty have opened a criminal case and ordered expert examinations; the city health department expressed condolences to the family and promised additional information after the investigation. Context of the incident: earlier, as Life.ru notes, a doctor warned about possible severe side effects of antibiotics, including anaphylactic shock, which can lead to death, and stressed that such medications should be taken only as prescribed by a doctor who determines the treatment regimen and dosage.