vaccination SIDS: Baby in mortuary since 1987 to be buried by council

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Blum

foto: Blum, who was four months old when he died in June 1987

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Baby in mortuary since 1987 to be buried by council

· Funeral to be held despite family's objections

· Parents blamed death on triple vaccination

* Audrey Gillan

* The Guardian,

* Monday July 28 2008

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jul/28/children.health

The remains of a baby boy that have been in a mortuary for more than 21

years because his parents refused to register his death are to be buried

by a council without their consent.

Blum was four months old when he died in June 1987. His body

has been kept in a north London mortuary, frozen and wrapped in a

package at the back of an adult-sized drawer marked " Baby Blum: Deceased " .

's father Steve found him dead in his sleepsuit as he lay in

his bedroom, with his hands bunched up to his face and with dried blood

around his nose. A pathologist said the cause of death was sudden infant

death syndrome (Sids) but because had been given a triple

vaccination hours before his death his parents have refused to accept

this. They are convinced the jabs were related to his death and have

resisted burial so that further investigations could be made.

Now Enfield council, which has borne the £15-a-week cost of storing the

body, has written to Steve Blum telling him they wish to move forward

" to laying to rest " . The council applied to the registrar

general to certify the death and the Guardian understands that the

coroner has given his approval for the remains to be removed from the

mortuary.

The council says that the format of the registration certificate has

changed and if Mr Blum registers the death, he is not signing for the

cause of it.

The letter from a council official goes on: " I do appreciate what a very

difficult and sensitive situation this is for you and your family and I

will try to assist you as far as I can. However I do need to make you

aware that if I have not heard from you within a month from the date of

this letter, I will need to proceed with the registration of

's death and I shall contact you again about your wishes for

the funeral arrangements. "

Mr Blum has until August 18 to act; otherwise his child will be interred

by the council. Yesterday he said he would not comply. " I want something

to be done to stop this. It would be fraudulent to say he died from Sids

or for them to register the death on my behalf. My investigation into

the cover-up of my son's death is still going on. " He went on: " I don't

intend to help them with their funeral plans. They should not be allowed

to touch that body or move it. It's disgusting and scandalous. "

The council said: " Enfield council has complied with the correct

procedure and obtained the consent of the registrar general to register

the death of Baby Blum who died 21 years ago. The council is now

proceeding to lay Baby Blum to rest.

" Mr Blum has been kept fully informed during this process, and has also

been asked to advise the council of his wishes in relation to where his

son should be buried, and what he would like written on his son's

headstone. "

The Guardian understands that a council officer has already registered

the death and that the cause of death is written as Sids. The council is

permitted to remove the body from the freezer and provide a funeral

under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984.

On the day he died, 's mother, , had taken him to North

Middlesex hospital. He was sick after he received his vaccination for

whooping cough, polio and tetanus.

" He threw up straight away, " said Mr Blum. " They sorted that out and he

came home. He was sort of lethargic. We put him to bed about seven or

eight in the evening. I went to check him at about half past nine. His

fists were clenched up to the sides of his head and his face was down on

the pillow. I picked him up and as soon as I did I knew something was

wrong. He wasn't floppy like a baby, he was rigid. There was blood

coming out of his nose. I screamed and went running downstairs with him.

My neighbour tried to give him the kiss of life and was pushing his

chest. We suspected the vaccine straight away. "

Mr Blum challenged the results of two postmortems with the backing of

Action for Victims of Medical Accidents (Avma), but the group no longer

supports him. His demand for an inquest was refused.

Avma's chief executive, Walsh, said yesterday: " We have great

sympathy and it's an awful shame that a request for an inquest hasn't

been granted because Mr Bloom might have had some questions answered and

got to the bottom and been able to achieve some sense of closure. "

Last year, when the Guardian revealed how remained in the

mortuary, the then north London coroner, Dr Bill Dolman, said: " I do

hope that things can be resolved. Part of me says out of all humanity

these things must be brought to closure because no one can move on.

" At least if there's a grave, he's got somewhere to grieve. "

*