Formerly paralysed children discharged from Nairobi Hospital after successful treatment

Thirteen children who suffered paralysis after being injected at a health facility in Busia County have been discharged from Nairobi Hospital after successfully undergoing treatment.

All the children left the facility walking, except one, who was on a wheel chair but was heading towards full recovery.

A section 16 out of the 28 children from Busia County who had been admitted at the Nairobi Hospital after they were injected at a dispensary in Akichelesit village in Teso North, Busia County. The Director of Medical Services, Dr Nicholas Muraguri, said they expect full recovery from all the children soon.(PHOTO: DAVID NJAAGA/ STANDARD)

Director of Medical Services Nicholas Muraguri said the paralysis was as a result of negligence and incompetence by a nurse. Dr Muraguri explained that even though they had suspected the paralysis could have been caused by polio, the children tested negative for the disease.

"There were three possibilities: Polio, use of contaminated drugs and how the injection was administered. We have established that the paralysis was caused by the children being injected on the wrong buttock," said Muraguri.

The nurse who administered the injections has since been suspended indefinitely as investigations continue.

According to Muraguri, the children had been injected with quinine after being diagnosed with serious malaria. It was after the injections that they exhibited symptoms of various forms of paralysis. They traced the quinine batch numbers and confirmed that they were safe, ruling out the possibility of drug contamination.

On July 31, 28 children were ferried from Busia to Nairobi Hospital for specialised treatment. They had varied symptoms ranging from weak limbs, pain when walking, while others had wounds on their legs, making it difficult for them to walk. Some of them had suffered the symptoms for months before their plight was highlighted by the media.

Muraguri faulted the hospital in Busia for not taking action even after several parents complained. Edejai Matthew, the representative of the parents whose children were affected, said they are grateful for the intervention by Nairobi Hospital.