Polio vaccine safe and effective

NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 10 -The Ministry of Health has assured that that the recent side effects linked to the polio vaccine are coincidental and unrelated to the vaccine.

Health Director General Patrick Amoth asserted that all vaccines are safe and effective in protecting children.

“Following the recent polio campaign, the Ministry of Health would like to clarify some important facts that were misrepresented. All vaccines given by the Ministry of Health, including the polio vaccine, are safe and effective in protecting our children against vaccine- preventable diseases,” he stated.

The Health Ministry maintained that vaccines are designed to stimulate an immune response in the body against infectious diseases, and this reaction inevitably carries a small attributable risk to the health of a minority of children.

This is after parents raised concerns over the safety of polio vaccines issued by the Ministry following the recent campaign.

Investigations by the Kenya National Vaccine Safety Advisory Committee (KNVSAC) indicated that the reactions witnessed were coincidental and were resolved over time.

“Concerns from parents on the recent polio campaign that took place from October 2nd-6th 2024 were investigated by the Kenya National Vaccine Safety Advisory Committee .Many times, health events happen around the time of vaccination by chance and are not caused by the vaccine itself,” Amoth stated.

The Ministry urged parents, guardians, and caregivers to bring their children for routine immunization as per the immunization schedule and to avail their children during the second round of polio vaccination campaigns taking place from 9 to 13th November 2024.

Polio is a highly infectious and debilitating vaccine-preventable viral disease with the potential to cause paralysis and even death among young children who are not fully vaccinated.

The disease can be prevented by receiving the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) and the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV).

According to the Health Ministry all children under the age of 5 years are expected to be up to date with childhood vaccines where they receive Polio vaccine at birth, 6 weeks, 10 weeks, and 14 weeks as per the routine immunization schedule.

In the event of an outbreak, the polio vaccine is given to all children 0-59 months irrespective of their previous vaccination status.

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