The leader of the National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED), Joseph Kabuleta, has threatened to expose government officials who are pushing for the vaccination of school going children despite knowing the side effects of the vaccine.
Health experts and activists have on several occasions warned the government and school administrators against vaccinating children without parental consent.
The Health ministry recently announced that it would in August this year commence the Covid-19 vaccination drive for children between the age of 5 and 17.
In a statement seen by the Ug Mirror on Wednesday, Kabuleta said Covid-19 statistics indicate that children are least likely to suffer from severe Covid-19, and when they do, the cure rate is as high as 99.9percent.
“I am concerned about the health of our children. Why would you want to risk the health of young children? I don’t have a problem with this vaccination but I have a problem with forced Covid-19 vaccination, “he said.
He attributed this to the inbuilt natural immunity in children, which he said far outweighs the vaccine-induced one.
He claims that the vaccine is more dangerous than disease hence calling upon parents to be keen about these issues and not accept forceful vaccination of their children without consent.
“These officials at the Ministry of health who are planning to become mass murders and I know their names but I won’t mention until they insist. I will expose them. Parents stand up and say no to this vaccination without your permission. This is a serious issue,” he said.
He questioned why the government does not want to seek the consent of the parents before enrolling the nationwide vaccination of children against the pandemic.
“If parents accept the decision of vaccinating their children, there is no problem but don’t use force. Some officials just want to make money. They don’t care about Ugandans. We shall not accept the vaccination of our children without our consent,” he said.
Health officials have said a recent sero-survey indicates that the Covid-19 risk prevalence in children is not different from that of adults, except the risk of death.
The Education ministry has however insisted that no school-going children will be vaccinated against Covid-19 without the Ministry of Health obtaining a written consent from parents and guardians.
Last month, First Lady Janet Museveni advised the Ministry of Health to make Covid-19 vaccination for children below 18 years optional.
The First Lady, who is also the Education and Sports minister, said the decision of vaccinating children against Covid-19 should be left to parents.
