The county of Garissa has launched the second phase of a massive polio vaccination campaign that is set to start on 4 to 8 of July.
Addressing stakeholders who included, chiefs, elders, and clerics during an awareness meeting ahead of the exercise on Thursday, Garissa sub-county deputy Commissioner, Samuel Njuguna said the aim of the program is to ensure that all children are vaccinated in a bid to make the county polio-free.
The program through the support of world health organization [WHO] will be also be conducted in Somalia and Ethiopia.
Garissa county child Health coordinator Hashim Noor said his officers will dispatch across the vast county.
He said the fact that Kenya borders Somalia coupled with the porous borders and the presence of refugees makes the county vulnerable to polio hence the need for the exercise to also be carried in the country.
“We need to all join hands to support this exercise that urge all of you to go out there and create the awareness through all the available avenues including the media so that so no child is left out,” said Noor.
Njuguna said failure to have even one child not vaccinated will have far-reaching effects to the entire county hence the need to take the exercise very seriously.
The administrator further dispelled the myth that some parents especially those in the remote parts who believe that the vaccination is not good for their children and has some effects.
He said his office will close the chiefs and their assistants to make sure that all children below the age of 5 are vaccinated adding that action will be taken against those who fail to avail their children.