At least 15 children have died in a botched measles vaccination campaign in Kapoeta East County in South Sudan’s Kapoeta State on 2 May, health officials announced.
Speaking to the press after meeting President Kiir on Thursday, South Sudan’s Health Minister Dr. Riek Gai Kok blamed the deaths on what he termed as “human error.”
The government official further said one syringe was used by the people who were administering the vaccines for all the children, adding that the vaccine was also not stored properly by local health officials in Kautu area.
The ministry pointed out all of the children who died shortly after the measles vaccination were under the age of 5. The government announced that it has set up a committee to investigate the incident.
For her part, Kapoeta’s health minister Lorika Stella confirmed the incident, while blaming local officials in charge of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) at Kautu area in Kapoeta County for starting the vaccination campaign without her knowledge.
She pointed out that the drive was stopped in the area after the death of the young children. The state minister pointed out that national security officers have gone to area to investigate the incident.
The nationwide measles vaccination campaign is targeting more than two million children. The drive is supported by the World Health Organization and the UN children’s agency provides the vaccines to the government.