KENYA
Commonweal
Lisa Fullam January 19, 2015
On Jan 14, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement reiterating their opposition to a WHO/UNICEF sponsored mass vaccination effort aimed at reducing maternal and neonatal tetanus. Their claim is that the vaccine is laced with Human Chorionic Gonadotropin and will result in permanent infertility in vaccinated women. They also state that the same was done in Mexico, Nicaragua, and the Philippines, also under WHO sponsorship. Their fears were triggered by reports of a group called the Kenyan Catholic Doctors association, who boldly stated:
This proved right our worst fears; that this WHO/UNICEF campaign is not about eradicating neonatal tetanus but is a well-coordinated, forceful, population control, mass sterilization exercise using a proven fertility regulating vaccine.
Well, let’s unpack this.
Maternal and neonatal tetanus is most common among women who deliver their babies in unsterile conditions and/or with poorly trained assistants. While more than 90% of Kenyan women receive prenatal health care, fewer than half deliver their babies in a hospital. In 2013, Kenya abolished hospital fees for delivery in an effort to address the nation’s rising maternal death rate. At least at first, this initiative didn’t seem to have much impact.
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