Two children dead after measles vaccination

Two children aged nine months have died and four others admitted at a hospital in Mokoro, Marakwet East after they were given a measles vaccine.

According to County Executive Committee Member for Health in Elgeyo Marakwet Thomas Rutto, the children died after they received their normal measles vaccine.

Rutto said that more health officers have been deployed to the county to help in identifying the cause as police launch investigations into the incident.

Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Alex Tolgos stopped the vaccination process until the cause of the deaths is clear.

Tolgos said he had ordered a cessation of all measles immunization exercises in the county and dispatched a medical team comprising the CEC Health, County Pharmacist, Director Public Health, Marakwet East Medical Officers and support health staff to the area to ascertain what could have gone wrong.

The Governor explained that all vaccines used by the county are sourced from Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) which is a State Corporation under the Ministry of Health.

He said the vaccines administered in Marakwet were procured by the ministry through its Division of Vaccines and Immunization (DVI) in conjunction with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

“The County Government then distributes the vaccines together with our drugs and non pharmaceuticals to our facilities for use,” he said.

The incident, involving the death of two children, occurred as routine outreach vaccination against measles in the area was ongoing.

“Only four children were taken for observation and discharged after it was established they were not in any danger,” noted Tolgos.

Tolgos said investigations that have already commenced would seek to establish whether the problem was with the vaccines or the mode of administration. He called on the Ministry and KEMSA to join the investigations.

“A comprehensive report will be issued once we get to the bottom of what happened. For now, we join the families of those affected by this tragedy in mourning the deceased.”

This is not the first incident in which routine vaccinations or injections have had problems.

In July, a nurse and two other hospital workers were suspended following an incident where 18 children became paralyzed after getting injections in Teso North.

The children later regained movement.