The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health is still carrying out investigations on reactions following the recent Measles/Rubella immunization campaign.
Dr Immaculate Ampaire, the deputy manager of the Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunization says that investigations are to determine whether the recipients of the vaccine are likely to face the same side effects.
According to data from the health ministry, more than 90 reports of adverse reactions to the vaccine were received during and after the mass immunization campaign. 77 out of the 90 complaints reported pain after being injected, mild fever and rushes.
While 13 cases out of the 90 needed investigations, investigations into 10 cases were social media posts that could not be traced and verified for further interventions.
Three cases were admitted at paediatric ward at Mulago National Referral Hospital where one of them passed away after being diagnosed with Stevenson Johnson syndrome, a severe skin and mucus membrane disorder that normally occurs as a reaction to medication or an infection.
Some of the expected reactions to the vaccine include; pain or swelling on redness at the injection site, headaches, rashes, dizziness, joint or muscle pain, nausea and vomiting.
Dr Ampaire says that side effects are expected after immunization and advises parents not to try and treat the side effects without prescription from a doctor.
Dr Deogratius Munube, the President of the Paediatric Association of Uganda says that some side effects are worse compared to others due to pre-existing conditions that might not be known to parents.
“Some children might react badly because they already had measles by the time that they were getting immunized. The health of a child at the time of immunization plays an important role in what side effects might be experienced after immunization takes place,” Dr Munube explained.
Investigations into the death of the deceased were launched to determine whether the they died due to the vaccine.
Samples taken to the Uganda Virus Research Institute and others were flown to the US Center for Disease Control headquarters in Atlanta, US. The investigations were completed and the health ministry is yet to reveal the findings.
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