Kiambu residents have been urged to allow their children to take the polio vaccine being issued in the county.
Members of Kavonokia church in the county have been at loggerheads with medical officers and national administrators for failing to allow their children to be immunised as their faith does not allow them to take any medicine.
Speaking after launching the polio immunisation exercise at Thika Level Five Hospital on Wednesday, the County Executive Committee member in charge of health, Pauline Njagi assured residents that the polio vaccine is safe and has been tested by the government and World Health Organisation.
Njagi said that Kavonokia members have been giving medics who try to administer the vaccine to their children a hard time and in most cases police have been called to intervene and ensure that the members comply.
She called on all residents of Kiambu to take advantage of the vaccine and prevent their children from polio which has been discovered in neighbouring countries like Somalia and Ethiopia.
Njagi noted that the vaccination exercise targets over 80,000 children within the county and called upon parents with children below five years to ensure their children are vaccinated irrespective of whether they had been immunised before or not.
She added that the county government will ensure residents get the required drugs in hospital and will continue to inform them on crucial issues concerning health.