[Immunization campaign launched in areas worst-hit by nurses’ strike. The strike has been going on for months now.] (Photo/the-star.co.ke)Garissa County is among 11 counties in which the government has launched an immunization campaign targeting children who might have missed out on being vaccinated due to the ongoing nurses’ strike.
Health CS Cleopa Mailu said that the two-month Catch Up drive will target 300,000 children below the age of five who might have missed out on six essential vaccines.
The other counties which the campaign will be carried out are Wajir, Turkana, Mandera, Lamu, Marsabit, Isiolo, Tana River, Samburu, West Pokot and Baringo.
He said the immunization campaign will cover polio, tetanus, measles, BCG, influenza and pneumonia vaccines adding that pregnant mothers in dire need of antenatal and postnatal care will also be attended to.
Mr Mailu said community health volunteers and workers will be absorbed to help identify children in the counties that are worst-hit by the strike adding that if the campaign proves successful, it will be rolled out in the rest of the counties.
“In these regions, there are cohorts of children who are susceptible to infections which can result in an outbreak. If there is an outbreak, they are likely to be wiped out.”
“This campaign is very necessary, given what the health sector has experienced during these strikes. Some of the signs we are seeing across the country such as the malaria outbreaks, upsurge of cholera cases and the threatening possibility of a measles outbreak can be attributed to it,” said Mr Mailu.
The campaign is a partnership between the Health Ministry, Unicef, Amref and the Kenya Red Cross.