Ministry confirms two deaths linked to polio vaccine amid safety concerns
By Charity Kilei |
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to bring their children for routine vaccinations as part of this essential public health effort.
Two polio vaccine-related deaths have been confirmed by the Ministry of Health following an investigation after the public raised concerns.
In a statement on Friday, the Director-General of Health, Patrick Amoth, disclosed that the Ministry had received 23 reports of adverse events following the vaccination campaign, which took place from October 2 to 6, 2024, across nine high-risk counties, including Nairobi, Busia, and Turkana.
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Parents and caregivers expressed concerns about potential post-vaccination reactions, reporting cases both at local health facilities and via the mobile reporting platform *271# connected to the Mobile Pharmacovigilance Electronic Reporting System (mPvERS).
After a review by the Kenya National Vaccines Safety Advisory Committee (KNVSAC), which met on October 23-24, 16 of the reported cases were classified as non-serious, including symptoms like rashes, fever, and mild gastrointestinal issues.
However, seven cases were deemed serious, with symptoms ranging from skin rashes and fever to convulsions and weakness in the limbs. Among these, two cases tragically resulted in death.
Further investigations attributed 18 cases to unrelated underlying health conditions, while four were identified as vaccine-related reactions, typically mild. One case remained indeterminate due to insufficient data.
The Ministry emphasised that with over 3.6 million children successfully vaccinated and remaining healthy, the polio vaccine is generally safe.
As Kenya prepares for a second round of the polio vaccination campaign scheduled for November 9-13, the Ministry highlights the critical importance of polio vaccination to prevent this highly contagious, potentially deadly virus.
All children under five are urged to stay up-to-date with polio immunisations to protect against the virus, which can cause paralysis or even death.
"The Ministry, together with the global community, remains committed to eradicating polio through sustained high vaccination coverage".
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to bring their children for routine vaccinations as part of this essential public health effort.
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