Kenyan bishops support vaccination boycott, citing risks

July 30, 2015

The Catholic bishops of Kenya have encouraged the public to boycott a vaccination campaign, citing indications that the vaccine is unsafe, the Fides news service reports.

The Kenyan bishops spoke out after about 30 children became paralyzed after receiving an anti-malaria drug. The bishops insisted that the oral vaccination campaign planned by the World Health Organization and UNICEF should be postponed until tests confirm the safety of the vaccine.

Earlier this year the Catholic hierarchy clashed with the government and international organizations over a separate vaccination campaign for tetanus. The bishops found that a substantial proportion of vaccine samples included a chemical that would sterilize women.

Cardinal John Njue of Nairobi said that the bishops do not intend to oppose public-health authorities, but “we are only trying to prevent our people from suffering from external causes.”

 

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Further information:

• Bishops call for general ‘boycot’ of upcoming vaccination campaign until vaccine is tested (Fides)
• Report: 30% of Kenyan vaccine samples contained sterility-inducing antigen (CWN, 2/20)