The Ministry of Health revealed on Friday, November 8, that two deaths were reported from children who were administered the first dosage of the polio vaccine issued last month.
In a statement, the Ministry confirmed that at least 23 cases of post-polio reactions were reported since the launch of the campaign on October 3. Of this, seven cases were confirmed to be serious, while the others were classified as 'coincidental'.
The Ministry, which has been facing a barrage of criticism over the polio vaccine, launched the probe in a bid to regain trust from Kenyans.
Investigations conducted by the Kenya National Vaccine Safety Advisory Committee (KNVSAC), have now led to the Ministry dismissing reports challenging the efficacy of the vaccines.
In its statement issued by the Director General of Health, DR Patrick Amoth, the ministry argued that its investigations have found that the deaths were as a result of the vaccine. However, Ministry of Health claimed that the people whose health deteriorated after the vaccine likely had underlying conditions.
"The majority of Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) cases were classified as coincidental, indicating that most reactions were likely due to external or underlying factors rather than the vaccine itself," the Ministry said in a statement on Friday, November 8.
"16 of the cases were non-serious, ranging from generalized itchy rash, fever, conjunctivitis, body rashes, abdominal pain, diarrhoea among others, " MoH added.
The Ministry further revealed that seven of the cases highlighted more serious symptoms including weakness of the lower limbs, convulsions, diarrhoea, vomiting and herpes zoster.
While 16 of the cases had been resolved and five other cases in the process of undergoing a full recovery, two people lost their lives after receiving the vaccine, whose campaign coincided with the rollout of the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The latest vaccination campaign, which ran from October 3 to October 6, was prompted by the recent outbreak of circulating Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Type 2 (cVDPV2) in the country.
Up to 3.8 million children under the age of five were targeted by the government across nine high-risk counties including Nairobi, Busia, Bungoma, Turkana, Trans Nzoia, West Pokot, Kiambu, Machakos, and Kajiado.
Despite the reported deaths, the government is set to continue with the second vaccination campaign which is slated to kick off from November 9 to November 13.
