Alice Muthoni and Belinda Gatwiri, both young mothers from Kangeta in Meru County, arrived at Rosmegg Medical Clinic as strangers seeking routine immunisation for their babies but left united in grief.
Their infants, Bridget Zawadi and Reagan Mwiti, were in good health and due for the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is administered at nine months.
However, in a tragic turn of events, the jab given last Friday on April 10 was soon followed by their deaths.
Meru Health Executive Dr Dennis Mugambi confirmed that the two infants died after receiving the measles vaccine at Rosmegg Medical Clinic.
The bodies are at Nyambene Level Four Hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem examinations and investigations by health officials and the police.
According to Pius Thuranira, an uncle to Reagan, this was not the first time the baby was taken to the facility for immunisation.
He said both infants were injected almost simultaneously by two medics who were on duty at the clinic on the fateful day.
Ms Gatwiri, Zawadi’s mother, recounted that her child began gasping for breath and fainted immediately after receiving the injection.
“My child was the first to receive the jab from a male nurse before the second one was injected by a female nurse. Immediately after the injection, my child started convulsing. They were rushed to another room for medical care,” she said.
Mr Thuranira added that Reagan’s mother was the first to notice an adverse reaction when the boy’s eyes turned red.
“He had difficulty breathing and started kicking his legs. The medics later discovered that the other girl had already fainted,” he said.
He further noted that the medics appeared shocked by the turn of events and were unable to explain what happened.
“The health workers locked themselves in a room where they were attending to the children. Our attempts to access our children and get information on what had happened were unsuccessful,” Ms Gatwiri said.
She added that they resorted to calling the police who intervened and compelled the medics to open the door. It was then that they discovered the two children had died.
“It was shocking because we were kept in the dark for a long time. Why did they wait until we called the police? We felt there was something they were hiding,” she said.
The affected families are now calling for thorough investigations to establish the exact cause of death and to assure the public on vaccine safety.
Following the incident, the Meru County Government suspended the measles vaccine batch linked to the deaths and halted vaccination services at Rosmegg Medical Clinic.
Vaccines are procured by the county government and distributed to accredited public, private and faith-based health facilities to enhance immunisation coverage.
Dr Mugambi said investigations are ongoing with preliminary findings pointing to severe allergic reactions, medically known as anaphylaxis.
“It is unfortunate that the children died after immunisation. Our officers, working with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), are probing the incident. In the meantime, we have suspended vaccination services at the facility and withdrawn the vaccine batch in question,” he said.
He added that investigators would also examine whether there was any professional negligence by the medical staff.
“There are cases where patients with underlying conditions may react adversely to vaccines. This will also be part of the investigation,” Dr Mugambi noted.
Health Chief Officer Dr Koome Muthuri said a team from the Ministry of Health and other national agencies had joined the probe.
Dr Mugambi, however, reassured the public that vaccines administered in the county are safe.
“We are very vigilant in monitoring the safety and efficacy of vaccines. The Ministry of Health is committed to ensuring all vaccines are safe. However, adverse effects following immunisation can occur in a small percentage of cases,” he said.
