A
recently rolled out countrywide Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)
vaccination campaign in Lesotho has become a national disaster, with
hundreds of immunized children returned to health centers with extreme
side-effects and full blown measles symptoms.
The MMR vaccine
protects children against the three diseases, measles, mumps and rubella
and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends children get two of
its doses starting with the first dose at 12 months through 15 months of
age; the second dose can be taken at 4 through 6 years of age.
The
vaccine contains live viruses that have been weakened so that they
stimulate the immune system, but do not cause disease in healthy people.
In a brief statement issued on Wednesday after a public outcry,
the health ministry said they were aware of several cases presented at
different health centers which parents associated with the MMR
vaccination.
If
the cases will be found to have adverse effects following immunization,
the health ministry said, the whole system will be reviewed and action
will be taken accordingly.“The ministry is taking the matter
very seriously and the World Health Organization and other international organizations have been informed,” the statement continued.
“Surveillance teams are already out in the field following up reported
cases right up to the household.”
The ministry said during the
ill-fated campaign children were given deworming tablets and vitamin A
together with the MMR vaccine, indicating these were procured only at
manufacturing companies that have been critically assessed by the WHO.
They
conceded, however, that cases reported and pictures of children
presented to them suggested the presence of intestinal worms, and that
“…the recent study conducted showed more than 50 percent of children in
most areas had worms.”
Media outlets in the capital Maseru have
since Wednesday been inundated with calls from concerned parents seeking
advice on the outbreak and reports of ailing children continue to rise;
African Independent observed some children described as showing a
mild form of measles – including rash, high temperature, loss of
appetite and a general feeling of being unwell. Other children,
according to parents, carried temporary pain and stiffness in the
joints.
The health ministry is expected to give an official statement on the outbreak later on Thursday.
Source: http://www.africanindy.com/news/vaccination-mishap-causes-panic-in-lesotho-8305801
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