Moroccans debate vaccination safety standards
2009-01-04
After six children in Casablanca suddenly fell ill, parents are pressing the Moroccan government to examine the safety of its vaccination plan.
By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 04/01/09
 [File] The Moroccan Parliament called on Health Minister Yasmina Baddou on Tuesday to review vaccination safety procedures. |
The case of several Moroccan children who fell ill following DPT/Hib vaccinations has received widespread media attention, prompting many parents anxious about their children's health to raise questions at public health centres about Morocco's compliance with international vaccination standards.
Six babies fell ill with severe infections after being vaccinated in Casablanca. Now nine months old, they were inoculated at the age of 4 months with the DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus) Hib vaccine at the Derb Linglise clinic. A few days after they received their vaccinations, the babies' legs began to swell and later developed abscesses.
Health Minister Yasmina Baddou said on Tuesday (December 30th) that the infants will be taken care of by her department, with a team of health care professionals assigned to provide support to the families.
Members of parliament called on the minister to account for what happened with the vaccines believed to be contaminated, and to take the necessary steps to ensure safety and compliance with international standards to protect public health.
The public must put its faith in the national vaccination system, Baddou continued. In operation for more than 27 years, the programme vaccinates 50,000 children per month across Morocco.
The vaccines, which protect against tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, and hepatitis B, are refrigerated in accordance with World Health Organisation guidelines, Baddou affirmed. Ministry employees perform systematic checks on the shelf-lives of vaccines and ensure compliance with requirements regarding procurement, storage and administration, she added.
All vaccines used by public clinics since 1992 have been purchased by the Ministry of Health using state funds through UNICEF.
After arriving at Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca, the vaccines are stored in four large national cold chambers until they can be delivered by refrigerated trucks to provinces and prefectures across the country.
"In order to store medicines in a country with a high ambient temperature such as Morocco, it is essential to maintain the cold chain and perform checks on refrigeration equipment," pharmacist Said Raji told Magharebia. "If this is not done, vaccines can cause severe health problems," he explained.
Omar El Menzhi, Casablanca Director of the Ministry of Health, said that all vaccines are recorded in a logbook together with their batch number and expiry date. "All vaccines acquired are certified by the World Health Organisation," he said.
Under the current vaccination plan, all newborn babies and children under the age of six in Morocco are supposed to be inoculated against the nine most dangerous illnesses for infants and children: tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B, severe respiratory infections caused by Haemophilus influenzae, measles and rubella.
The Ministry of Health says Morocco has succeeded in achieving a vaccination coverage rate in excess of 92% for children under one year old, and has wiped out certain illnesses such as polio, tetanus in newborn babies and diphtheria.
Email to a friend
Print version
nawal Posted 2009-01-28
Hello! – In addition to the cold chain, vaccines are administered by unqualified paramedics, particularly interns at the Red Cross and medical students from the private sector. The administration of vaccines must be done by a graduated general state nurse or by a midwife or by a IFCS third-year student nurse. Thank you, everyone.
Dr Medina Posted 2009-02-25
Indeed, the truth is that the refrigeration system they use is well respected, but you can forget about the rest. The vaccine is not being challenged on the ground that the same refrigeration system is being used for other vaccines distributed to other centres. However, the instruments and products used for disinfection prior to injection might be the cause. Where are these products purchased and who is doing the purchasing? Where are these products kept and what are their expiration dates? Who is responsible for this?
uli 106 Posted 2009-09-01
Hi everyone- It is perfectly true that vaccines have side effects, which can make children ill. However, given that the aim of the national immunisation programme is to immunise children against disease, the monitoring of side effects and the management of this problems early on and accurately remains the best solution for our children's health.
من أجل وطنـــــــــى الغــــــــــرب Posted 2009-09-10
The unclear point about this case which is still in the hands of justice in the Moroccan kingdom, concerning a case filed by a civil society association, the person responsible for the case, Omar El Manzahi, head of the health delegation in Casablanca, was promoted to a national function as head of epidemiologies and infectious diseases. This official now supervises everything associated with vaccinations in the kingdom of Morocco as a whole. He has not yet been discharged of accusation addressed against him in a case of vaccinations in a district near his office and close to the district of the respectable minister. The question is about the role of this official in what he has offered to a relative in the political field and who was a mediator in his appointment.
We welcome your comments on Magharebia's articles.
It is our hope that you will use this forum to interact with other readers across the Maghreb. In order to keep this experience interesting, we ask you to follow the rules outlined in the comments policy. By submitting comments, you are consenting to these rules. While Magharebia.com encourages discussion on all subjects, including sensitive ones, the comments posted are solely the views of those submitting them. Magharebia.com does not necessarily endorse or agree with the ideas, views, or opinions voiced in these comments. This is a moderated forum. Comments deemed abusive, offensive, or those containing profanity may not be published.
Magharebia's Comments Policy