The Ministry of Health has reported that two children died following the October 2024 polio vaccination campaign, marking a rare occurrence among the millions vaccinated.
According to Director General for Health Patrick Amoth, 23 cases of post-vaccination events were reported after the campaign, which was conducted from October 2-6, 2024.
Dr. Amoth stated that the ministry engaged the Kenya National Vaccines Safety Advisory Committee (KNVSAC) to assess the reports. The committee met from October 23-24 to thoroughly review all cases reported.
“Out of the 23 reported and investigated cases, 16 were non-serious, with symptoms including generalised itchy rash, fever, conjunctivitis, body rashes, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea, among others,” Amoth said.
He noted that seven of the reported cases were considered serious, presenting symptoms such as skin bumps, fever, weakness in the lower limbs, convulsions, diarrhoea, vomiting, and herpes zoster.
“An analysis of the serious and non-serious events showed that 16 of the reported cases had resolved, while five are in the process of resolving,” he added. “Two of the reported cases unfortunately resulted in death.”
Further investigation, according to Amoth, revealed that 18 cases were classified as coincidental due to unrelated underlying or emerging health issues.
“Factors supporting this classification included timing of symptoms, pre-existing health issues, and environmental exposure to infections,” he explained.
The remaining cases included four classified as vaccine product-related reactions, such as generalised rash and fever, while one case was deemed indeterminate due to limited information.
Amoth highlighted that caregivers and parents reported these adverse events to local health facilities and via the mobile-based *271# reporting platform, which feeds into the Mobile Pharmacovigilance Electronic Reporting System (mPvERS).
The polio vaccination campaign targeted nine high-risk counties, including Nairobi, Busia, Bungoma, Turkana, Trans Nzoia, West Pokot, Kiambu, Machakos, and Kajiado.
Amoth said that most adverse events following immunization (AEFI) were deemed coincidental rather than directly related to the vaccine.
“The findings underscore the importance of detailed causality assessments to distinguish between coincidental events and true vaccine-related reactions, thereby maintaining public trust in the safety of immunization programs,” he noted.
He emphasized the overall success of the campaign, which reached over 3.6 million children across the targeted counties.
“It is important to note that more than 3.6 million children were reached and vaccinated during this campaign who are all healthy, a pointer that vaccines are generally safe,” Amoth added.
