The Catholic Church highlighted flaws in the new cancer project launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday, October 18.
The Daily Nation on Monday, October 21, reported that Archbishop Martin Kivuva of the Catholic Diocese of Mombasa expressed concerns that the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine had several side effects that needed to be considered.
Kivuva had joined Uhuru during the launch of the HPV vaccine in Ziwani Primary School in Mombasa, targeting over 800,000 girls.
The Archbishop, who is a member of the Catholic Health Commission urged for continuous tests to be conducted to determine the safety of the vaccine to manage its side effects that include pain, redness, or swelling in the arm where the shot was given, Fever and nausea among others.
“The government should not just take vaccines from abroad and start distributing without ascertaining its safety. Whenever people are affected they rush to our hospitals.
“The worst is that some people bring in drugs that have been banned in other countries. We need to be cautious,” he warned.
Uhuru, however, defended the safety of the drugs, stating the vaccine was scientifically proven to be user-friendly.
“Please let us not fight science. Let us work together, answer questions from an intellectual point of view. Let us talk and agree because we all mean and want the same thing a prosperous future for our children,” the President urged.
According to Uhuru, the vaccine is set to reduce new cancer cases and protect young women against early deaths.
He also informed that the vaccine can be accessed in all public, private, faith-based and non-governmental health facilities across the country.
