More than a dozen former patients of a deceased Illinois pediatrician lack immunity to some or every disease they thought they were vaccinated against, authorities revealed March 9, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Van Koinis, DO, a pediatrician in Evergreen Park, Ill., took his own life in September 2019. The Cook County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation into Dr. Koinis' medical records after the physician left a suicide note suggesting he did not always administer required vaccines.
Testing revealed that two former patients who are now adults and 12 children treated by Dr. Koinis before his death had no or partial immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases, the sheriff's office said. Five other individuals are still waiting for their test results.
In some cases, one sibling was immune to a disease while the other was not. Some parents also said they witnessed Dr. Koinis give their children shots, believing they were the proper vaccines.
Authorities are still investigating whether Dr. Koinis falsified medical records for parents who did not want their kids to receive vaccines required for school-aged children under Illinois law.