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The Sunday Mail, 5-11 July 2009

Government has intensified investigations into reports of prolonged side effects among children who were recently immunised against the major killer diseases.

This comes amid unconfirmed reports that some of the vaccine batches had fatal effects on a number of children in various areas across the country.

Speaking in an interview yesterday, the Acting Secretary for Health and Child Welfare Dr Christopher Tapfumaneyi, confirmed that investigations were in progress, but added that they had not received any reports of fatalities. He said the ministry had requested reports from all of the country’s provincial health institutions.

“We have not yet received any death-related cases among young children who were vaccinated and, as a ministry, we have asked for detailed reports from all our health institutions.

“Cases of side effects are expected after vaccination, but they usually last for only two or three days. The recent vaccination programme was aimed at lowering the country’s infant mortality rate,” said Dr Tapfumaneyi.

Health Minister Dr Henry Madzorera had earlier said his ministry was aware of reports of prolonged side effects, adding that investigation teams would be deployed to assess the situation.

“We have been hearing about these cases from media houses and parents, but our health centres have not given us any detailed reports with regards to these claims.

“As a ministry, we are going to carry out investigations to determine if these cases are true. What usually happens is that most children experience a fever that lasts a day or two, after immunisation”, said Dr Madzorera.

Early this month, Government authorised a vaccination programme under which over two million children were immunised against measles, tetanus, typhoid, polio, tuberculosis and diphtheria.

The programme targeted children between zero and six years of age. Health experts countrywide commended the programme as a success, as the response was good, with mothers coming in their thousands to have their children immunised.

However, the usual expected side effects became prolonged among some of the children, leaving parents in a state of panic. 

A medical practitioner from Harare Central Hospital who spoke on condition of anonymity last week confirmed that they have been treating children who have been experiencing these prolonged side effects.

LESSONS FOR TODAY 

What Dr Tapfumaneyi says is quite true: “Cases of side effects are expected after vaccination, but they usually last for only two or three days.” However, politics, religion, conspiracy theories and fake news normally interfere with scientific developments.

 The world is reeling under the Covid-19 pandemic. Scientists in different parts of the world, worked so hard to produce a number of vaccines in record time. Despite the politics of disease and science, the aim is to ensure that life returns to normal and the battered economies are resuscitated.

 Only time will tell which of the Covid-19 vaccines being administered has fool-proof efficacy and endurance against Covid-19, and the subsequent variants as it mutates. 

But current information says each of the vaccines on the market so far, have one side effect or the other. The worst is when it turns fatal.