Tetanus Vaccine test results ready, says minister
What you need to know:
- The church had claimed the vaccine, administered to women between 14 and 49 years old, contained a hormone that causes infertility, prompting the testing.
- Samples of the vaccine had been sent for testing in the UK, South Africa and at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, by a joint team of experts — three each from the church and the ministry.
The results of tests on whether the tetanus vaccine can cause infertility or not will be announced on Monday.
Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia on Tuesday said the results would be announced at a press conference by experts from the Catholic Church and the Ministry of Health.
However, the vaccination campaign is over and successful, he said. “During the campaign, 74 per cent (1.6 million to 1.7 million) women were vaccinated against a target of 80 per cent (2.3 million),” the Cabinet Secretary told the Nation.
The church had claimed the vaccine, administered to women between 14 and 49 years old, contained a hormone that causes infertility, prompting the testing.
Samples of the vaccine had been sent for testing in the UK, South Africa and at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, by a joint team of experts — three each from the church and the ministry.
Meanwhile, scanners and infrared cameras have been installed at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and other points of entry to step up surveillance on Ebola. The disease has killed 5,459 people in West Africa.
