The Ministry of Health on Friday issued a statement addressing concerns over the polio vaccine making children sick.
In a statement seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the Director of Medical Services Dr Jackson Kioko refuted allegations on social media of photos of children who are alleged to have developed skin lesions following the just concluded polio campaign.
"The Ministry wishes to clarify that the two cases with such skin conditions were reported in Nairobi and Kiambu county.
"The two children were diagnosed to have had foot and mouth viral infection caused by coxsackie virus and not the polio virus," Dr Kioko stated.
In the statement, the Ministry noted that the child in Nairobi (Kasarani) developed the condition around the time of polio campaign which, ended on 24th October 2018.
"It is also noted that the siblings of the said child who were not vaccinated also presented with the same condition.
"The child in Kiambu county was reported to have had the skin lesions days before the onset of the polio vaccination campaign," he clarified.
The Ministry confirmed that the skin infection which affected the above children was not related and could not be attributed to the polio vaccine given during the campaign.
"The Ministry wishes to inform the public that the polio campaign exercise coincided with the season when the country experiences an upsurge of viral infections including flu and coxsackie among other viruses.
"Further, such viral infections caused by coxsackie and the flu virus are self- limiting and only require supportive treatment and management if they are no other underlying medical conditions compromising the body immune status," Dr Kioko conveyed.
The Ministry assured all parents that the complications reported were not related to the polio vaccine given during the campaign and encouraged them to present any sick child to the nearest health facility for investigation and treatment.
