The vaccines administered to students of the Lochaber Primary School last Tuesday, were routine booster shots, the Ministry of Public Health has reported, noting that parents were informed about the upcoming campaign at the beginning of the school year.
The ministry, through the Department of Public Information (DPI), has responded to claims made by a parent of a student of the school, who alleged that several students fell ill after being administered a vaccine by a nurse at the institution without parental consent.
Calling the claims false and the result of miscommunication, the ministry stated that the newspaper report was “based on several inaccuracies resulting from the publication’s use of a misinformed source”, but admitted that it could have been avoided if more information had been available to the parents.
Last week, Cassandra Arthur had stated that she came home to find her son nursing a swollen arm and running a high fever. After enquiring, her daughter informed her that he had received an injection at school. Arthur related that when she took her son to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, doctors there indicated that he may have suffered an allergic reaction to the vaccine, however, this could not be confirmed as she was not even aware of what vaccine he had received.
Additionally, she claimed that while at the hospital, she encountered parents with similar complaints. Another parent, Candacy Sulker, said that her five-year-old had also reacted to the vaccine.
DPI reported that 39 students of the Lochaber Primary School in fact received routine booster DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus) shots last Tuesday. It was explained that DPT booster shots are usually administered to children at age two months, four months, six months, 18 months and three years nine months, and are also given between the ages of four and six years old.
DPI reported that Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, emphasized that the vaccine delivered is in no way associated with the current Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination campaign.
It noted that the school was alerted about the DPT vaccination campaign since January, the start of the new school year, so that parents would have the option to either opt out of having their children receive the vaccine or submit their clinic card for updating afterward.
The vaccines were reportedly administered by the midwife of the Sandvoort Health Centre, who, the ministry also said, ensured the students were prepared since January.
However, according to the DPI report, contrary to what was alleged, hospital records show that only one student, Arthur’s son, was treated for the side effects of the vaccine. It was stated that it was found that the child suffered simple swelling at the vaccination site and pain in the arm where it was received. It was stated that the pain eventually subsided, after which medical attention was sought at the New Amsterdam Hospital.
Following investigations into the woman’s claims, Dr. Persaud said they learnt the child is asthmatic and “could have suffered a co-morbid reaction which is usually short term and not fatal.”
The ministry stated that the parent in question, after meeting with health officials, agreed that her son had “only had an adverse side effect from the vaccine” and “conceded that she has since been educated on the facts surrounding the administering of the vaccine”. The ministry said the mother also expressed satisfaction at the level of interest shown in her son’s case and stated that she is pleased to have received answers on what transpired.
Meanwhile, Maternal and Child Health Officer, Dr. Oneka Scott, who travelled to Berbice to meet with the mother and the midwife, concluded that the report was the result of miscommunication. Consequently, she acknowledged that intensified awareness campaigns are needed to educate parents about vaccines being administered in schools, though noting that nurses and health personnel going to schools to administer vaccines is not new.
“I think there was some amount of miscommunication, I am not sure if it could have been avoided with proper information being given to the mother. However, these things do happen from time to time although we don’t want them to happen…someone may receive the information in time, or they may not receive the information brochure that educates them or tells them that it is vaccination day the nurses are going to the schools. We’ll try to see how best we can correct that,” Scott was reported as saying.
