Igegania Hospital children’s department is set to launch a vaccination exercise to prevent severe diarrhea among children below the age of one years old.
The vaccine according to children health officer in the hospital Magdalene Mugure will be administered to children along with other vaccines such as oral polio vaccine and BCG in two doses at six weeks after birth and second dose at 10 weeks.
Speaking from the hospital on Wednesday, Mugure observed that Rotavirus causes severe diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration and fever and may affect children at their early age if not prevented.
"We have taken the step to give the vaccine to children because diarrhea caused by Rotavirus is among the top five diseases causing infant mortality in Gatundu North sub county," she said.
Mugure noted that parents should maintain basic hygiene in their homes and make sure that the playing environment for their children was clean and safe.
"We have already received the vaccinating drugs worth Kshs. 3.5 million courtesy of the national government which we have scheduled to start giving early next week," she revealed.
She said that the drugs will be extended to all dispensaries within the sub county to allow all mothers with small children to avail them for the vaccination.
"My department will ensure that unreachable areas due to the rough terrain have been covered during the exercise through distribution of the drugs to nearby dispensaries," she said.