Minor dies after immunisation, two arrested

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga. PHOTO/ABUBAKER LUBOWA

What you need to know:

  • During a press briefing yesterday, police spokesperson Fred Enanga said Mesiah Akankwasa, a resident of Buziga Parish in Makindye, died minutes after receiving the shot

Police in Kabalagala, a suburb in Kampala are investigating the death of a nine-month-old baby after receiving a vaccine.

The incident took place at Daphine Medical Centre in Kabalagala on November 4.

During a press briefing yesterday, police spokesperson Fred Enanga said Mesiah Akankwasa, a resident of Buziga Parish in Makindye, died minutes after receiving the shot.

 “Police in Kabalagala have a doctor and a nurse in custody following the tragic circumstances under which a nine-month-old baby who had been taken for vaccination at Daphine Medical Centre in Kabalagala by the mother collapsed and died a few minutes after getting the shot,” Mr Enanga said.

He added: “What the doctor and nurse did even after knowing that the baby was dead, they referred the mother with the dead body to Mukwaya General Hospital where on arrival, they established that the nine-month-old son had died.”

Mr Enanga said they are yet to determine the cause of death of the baby.

 “…we have also obtained the toxicological samples for further analysis…,” he said.

A health worker at Daphine Medical Centre, who spoke to Daily Monitor on condition of anonymity, said the baby did not die instantly as stated by police.

The source added that a post-mortem was carried out and it revealed that it is not the medicine or the immunisation doze that caused death.

“The child had other underlying conditions that they are still investigating and also during immunisation, the health workers asked the mother if the baby was in good health and she agreed that the child was in good health,” she said.

The source added that this is not the only child that was being vaccinated at the time and the other children are in good health.

 In another development, police have said there is an increase in the number of students committing suicide due to misuse of school fees.

Mr Enanga said: “The number of students that are taking their lives over misappropriation of fees is on the rise and in the last three weeks, we have registered three cases.”

On Wednesday last week, Denis Tuke, a Senior Six student at Bukoyo Secondary School in Iganga Distict hanged himself in his dormitory allegedly because he misused school fees for the second and third terms amounting to Shs1.2m.