19 October 2006
The afore-mentioned child had chicken pox and high fever not smallpox and
hay fever as stated in previous statement. The provincial Department of Health
is disputing reports that an 18 month old baby from Umkomaas on the
KwaZulu-Natal South Coast has contracted the polio virus.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health this morning sent two representatives
from the maternal, child and women's health unit to the family of the 18 month
old baby.
The team included Ms Janet Dalton and Ms Zanele Hadebe. This follows comment
made by Ms Webster, Chief Executive Officer of Post Polio Network on SAfm radio
station this morning, which suggested that an 18 month old baby had contracted
the polio virus.
The mother of the baby in question informed Ms Hadebe and Ms Dalton that the
baby developed chicken pox and high fever a day after the polio vaccine was
administered. She further went on to say that she was concerned that her child
could have contracted the polio virus after she read an article by Ms Webster,
which cautioned parents about risks of administering polio vaccines to babies
and children.
The article was published in, 'The Rising Sun,' 17 to 23 October 2006. Below
is an extract from the article:
"The Department of Health is requesting that parents have their children
immunised once more as an extra precaution against polio. It is important that
parents know that if a child has a cut, boil, open wound, etc. that they must
not have that child immunised. We use the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), which is
the vaccine and if you allow your child an immunisation under these conditions
then it is possible it could get polio�"
The baby was immunised against polio during the recent polio immunisation
campaign, which the department had embarked on last week. "The mother of the
baby took the baby to a doctor who examined the baby and the baby was given a
clean bill of health. We are very concerned as the department when we have
people in senior positions like Ms Webster who mislead the public about
something this serious," says Mr Leon Mbangwa, spokesperson for the
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health.
"The recent polio immunisation campaign was very successful as more than 84%
of children below the age of five were immunised against polio. Members of the
public should not allow themselves to be misinformed; they should always seek
information from their nearest clinic or hospital if they are in doubt", added
Mbangwa.
Enquiries:
Leon Mbangwa
Cell: 083 459 8695
Issued by: Department of Health, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
19 October 2006
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government (http://www.kznhealth.gov.za/)
