Published by the government of Zimbabwe
30 June 2009
Harare — GOVERNMENT is investigating reported cases of negative reaction by some children to the poliomyelitis, measles immunisation, and the Vitamin A supplementation drugs they received a fortnight ago under the national vaccination campaign.
In an interview yesterday, Health and Child Welfare Minister Dr Henry Madzorera said they had received complaints, but could not conclusively trace them to the recent outreach programme until after comprehensive investigation.
"Whenever we receive complaints, the normal way to respond is to carry investigations. Yes, I have received such complaints.
"I got telephone calls of people complaining. Our Epidemiology and Disease Control Unit, together with the Expanded Programme on Immunisation are carrying out investigations," he said.
Minister Madzorera said it was, however, important to note that reactions of such a nature were common.
"Whenever there is a vaccination, children might fall ill but the illness must be mild, it should be a mild fever.
"What is critical to note is that a child vaccinated against measles, for example, might react but should not react by contracting the very disease that the child is being immunised against.
"Reactions after such an exercise do occur as the children's immune system is built."
Minister Madzorera said the ministry would want to examine the children who fell ill.
"This means we need we need people to come forward so that we can carry a thorough examination," he said.
A Unicef official said they had received similar complaints about the reactions but referred The Herald to the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare and the World Health Organisation.
She said her organisation had helped to secure the drugs and was worried about the reactions, though it was possible for the children to react in such a way to immunisation.
Efforts to get a comment from WHO were fruitless as the country representative, Dr Custodia Mandlhate, was said to be out of the country, while other senior officers at the organisation were out of office.
The Herald has been receiving calls from the parents whose children had reportedly developed side-effects after receiving the vaccines.
Most of the callers complained about high temperatures and vomiting, diarrhoea and nose bleeds affecting their children.
Health officials at council clinics in Hatcliffe, Highfield, Mufakose, Marlborough and Glen View confirmed having received cases of diarrhoea and vomiting.
Other towns to have experienced the same problems include Marondera and Bindura.
More than two million children under the ages of five were recently immunised against measles and polio under a nationwide campaign by Government with the support of Unicef.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 The Herald. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
