Edo denies children's deaths after taking Rubella measles vaccines
Edo State Director of Public Health, Stephenson Ojeifo, has dismissed reports claiming that children died after receiving the Rubella measles vaccine. The vaccine, currently administered to children under 14 years
Edo State Director of Public Health, Stephenson Ojeifo, has dismissed reports claiming that children died after receiving the Rubella measles vaccine.
The vaccine, currently administered to children under 14 years old, was alleged in a viral message from a purported relative to have caused fatalities at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).
The message read, “Rubella measles vaccine killing children at UBTH.”
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Reacting, the hospital’s Public Relations Officer, Osaretin Iyen, said he was unaware of any such incident but promised to investigate the claims.
Ojeifo confirmed that he personally visited UBTH to verify the situation after the Ministry of Health was alerted, insisting that the rumours of deaths were unfounded.
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According to him, "The issue of death as a result of the vaccine is not real. The patients came in there after taking the vaccine, and some of them have already been discharged.
"One thing we need to get clear is that you took a vaccine, yes, and you now came to the hospital, does not mean that we should conclude that it was the vaccine that caused it; that is why we are always investigating.
"In this case, of all of them that came, only one is on admission now, and he is 14 years old, and he is very okay. He was even discussing it with me. We just want to be sure that they go and scan to be sure that there are no issues related to it. So that is the only one on admission.
"Then the one that died, he was inoculated with the vaccine, but you can't say that he died because of the vaccine, he was a sickle cell patient, and he has always been coming down with crises. So that information that people are dying from the vaccine is not true. I met with the DCMAC, I met with the Head Paediatric, so there is nothing like that."
