No polio vaccine: Mums, babies turned back
SITEKI – Immunisation of children against polio is under threat following the shortage of IPV polio vaccine in health facilities across the country.
IPV stands for Inactivated Polio Vaccine. IPV is given by shot in the arm or leg, depending on the person’s age.
According to Wikipedia, polio vaccines are used to prevent poliomyelitis.
Two types are used, an inactivated poliovirus given by injection and a weakened poliovirus given by mouth. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends all children to be fully vaccinated against polio.
According to a health official, they started to discover that the vaccine was not available when children aged 14 weeks (two months) were turned back yet they were supposed to be administered the vaccine at that age.
The health officer said there were four vaccines that were not available in health facilities, that were important to be administered to children.
The officer said another vaccine, pentavalent, also known as a 5-in-1 vaccine, was a combination vaccine with five individual vaccines conjugated into one.
The vaccine provides protection to a child from five life-threatening diseases – diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B and Hib.
Diphtheria is a serious infection caused by strains of bacteria called corynebacterium diphtheriae that make toxins (poison). It can lead to difficulty breathing, heart failure, paralysis, and even death. The Centres for Disease Control (CDC) recommends vaccines for infants, children, teens, and adults to prevent diphtheria.
Serious
“This is a serious concern to the health system of children; it is not only the vaccines but also medication in our health facilities. We have ran out of stock and it is a problem when patients and children are turned back and advised to seek help in pharmacies after prescribing their medication and vaccines,” said the health officer.
Another medication that is in short supply isAsthavent that is used to treat the symptoms of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) such as coughing, wheezing, and breathlessness, Azithromycin, Azithromycin - an antibiotic that fights bacteria. Azithromycin is used to treat many different types of infections caused by bacteria and cefaxone injection, an antibiotic belonging to the Cephalosporin group, which is used to treat bacterial infections in your body.
“There are a number of vaccines and medication that health facilities have run out of but the management of these facilities are not coming out in the media because they are afraid of victimisation. As health practitioners, we are confronted with a number angry patients who want explanation about the shortage of drugs and to also try to mitigate the situation by giving them an alternative drug which is against the medical principles. Government has to do something before more diseases like polio break out,” added the health practitioner.
Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU) Secretary General (SG) Mayibongwe Masangane said they have been constantly engaging the Ministry of
Health on this subject matter since 2020.
Masangane said the shortage of medication may vary from health facilities and his office was aware of the shortage of stock.
Worth mentioning is that this publication reported about the shortage of a drug to treat patients under hypertension medication. The drug, Ephedrine, is prescription medicine used to treat the symptoms of low blood pressure during anesthesia (Hypertension).
Effective
Ephedrine may be used alone or with other medications. Ephedrine belongs to a class of drugs called Alpha/Beta Adrenergic Agonists. It is not known if Ephedrine is safe and effective in children.
Another medication that is important in the winter season isAlcophyllex, which is taken by cough and flu patients.
Masangane said most clinics and hospital were reportedly without antibiotics as most patients were turned back while some were given prescription of their medication and drugs so that they could purchase them at pharmacies.
The SG said as an organisation they were aware of the current state of drug shortages in the country’s healthcare facilities.
“It is a situation we have enlightened government with for quite a number of times and with the shortage in children’s vaccines, it is imperative that government resolves this issue soon,” he said.
One patient who called this publication to talk about her plight of not getting medical help in one of the country’s hospitals, confided that the drugs were prescribed by a nurse and she was expected to purchase them at a pharmacy.
“I was told that my injury needs Ibuprofen, a drug that manages pain but I was told it was not available at the clinic and have to buy it at the pharmacy. It is so disheartening as we pay tax but the dire situation in our health system is getting worse,” said the patient.
Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula said he was away and could not comment as he needed to consult to make an informed explanation on the situation.
Ministry of Health Principal Secretary Dr Simon Zwane could not be reached as his mobile phone was constantly unavailable on the network after several call attempts were made in the time of compiling this report.