Polio vaccine meets resistance from Catholic faithful in south Nyanza

Health officials administering the polio vaccine in south Nyanza region have faced opposition from the public following reservations raised by the Catholic Church.

While other parents allowed the vaccine to be administered, the officers had a rough time convincing staunch Catholic followers on the importance of the vaccine.

County Deputy Public Health Officer Kennedy Ombogo said some of the officials were literally denied an opportunity to administer the vaccine to children.

"Some of our officials went to Catholic churches, the nuns received them well admitting that the vaccine was important. However, they could not defy the orders issued by the church leadership," said Dr Ombogo.

He added, "The exercise will continue in the entire county, because it is the right of children to be cushioned from polio, which is a dangerous disease. The parents should take responsibility and ensure their children are vaccinated."

However, leaders of other Christian denominations in the county advised their congregation to take the vaccination exercise.

"The only way to save your child from the dangers of polio is by vaccinating them. That is the only way you can show them love and care. Polio paralyses children, and if that is the only way it can be avoided, let us avoid it," said John Abisai of Maranatha Faith Assemblies.

In Homa Bay, the county government told residents to shun the Catholic Church's campaign against the vaccine.

County Health Executive Lawrence Oteng' expressed concern that health practitioners were getting resistance from the Catholic Church.

Speaking to The Standard, Dr Oteng' said the officers who went out to administer the vaccine were forced to vacate and after some of the locals began questioning the exercise.

"The Catholic Church has become an impediment against the ongoing vaccination exercise as they tell parents not to allow their children to receive the oral. But I am telling the residents to stop heeding to what they are saying, otherwise their children will suffer," said Oteng.

He assured the residents that the vaccine was safe for the intended purpose.

Last Sunday, Homa Bay Catholic Cathedral's Vicar General Michael Odiwa began an anti-polio vaccine campaign, discouraging the locals against allowing their children to be immunised.

Father Odiwa addressed more than 1,500 faithful who attended the Sunday mass at his church where he argued that the vaccine might have side effects.

He wondered why the Government was in a hurry to use the vaccine and ignoring the Catholic Church's request to carry out their suggested investigations to verify its safety.

"The Government has been making consultations with the the church over vaccines used in previous immunisation exercises but the State's impatience to use the vaccine is worrying. We suspect something fishy with the vaccine and that is why they can't give our doctors time to test it," claimed Odiwa.

The Priest told the faithful not to allow their children or their relatives to undertake the vaccine.

"You will live to regret the vaccine," he warned.

And in Nyamira County, Catholic churches were no-go zones for community health workers out to immunise children.

A spot check in 10 Catholic churches revealed health workers were nowhere near the worship centres, unlike on Saturday when they freely administered the vaccine drops to children under the age of five in various churches belonging to the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) across the region.

Other protestant churches also allowed the workers to give the oral vaccine meant to prevent the highly infectious disease.

Some Catholic faithful, however, differed with the church leadership.

Periz Mokeira, a faithful of Nyanchonori Catholic Church said even though the stand of the church against the vaccines was against her will, she had to give her two sons the orals.

On Thursday last week, health stakeholders said they will conduct a crackdown on parents denying their children a right to receive the vaccine.

REPORT BY: STANLEY ONGWAE, KASSIM ADINASI AND JAMES OMORO