The polio vaccination campaign registered a 90 percent success in Nakuru, county Public Health Officer has said.
Samuel Kingori congratulated Nakuru residents for supporting the first phase of polio vaccination campaign and turning up in overwhelming numbers. He says the turnout surpassed the 80 percent target the county had set.
“Nakuru residents have cooperated well with health officials where we achieved 90 percent success," said Kingori.
While releasing the statistics of the exercise on Thursday at the Nakuru Provincial General Hospital (NPGH), Kingori said that the massive success was due to efforts by county health workers who explained to residents the benefits of immunisation against backdrop of opposition led by the Catholic Church .
Kingori expressed optimism that the second phase will register similar results.
“Many children are still at risk since not all who were targeted in the first immunisation drive were vaccinated," he said.
He said that the government is committed to the global goal of eradicating polio .
“The Ministry of Health has strengthened surveillance to ensure all polio-related cases are promptly dealt with," he added.
Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease. It invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis in a matter of hours.
The immunization exercise was sponsored by the Ministry of health, the World Health Organization(WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP) and the Kenya Red Cross