The Health Ministry is set to roll out a tetanus vaccination campaign in 11 counties that have been identified as high risk areas.
The ministry said the campaign will target women aged between 14 and 49 years.
Mombasa County is among the 11 counties which will be targeted during the countrywide vaccination campaign, that is set to kick off May 16 to May, 2016.
Health Principal Secretary Dr Nicholas Muraguri said the aim of the vaccine is to protect children against Neonatal Tetanus.
Dr Muraguri said the campaign was important as the illness, which claims one child in Kenya every day, was on the rise.
“Four hundred children die from Neonatal Tetanus every year and the misery of their mothers is unfathomable. The baby can’t feed, is hungry and arcs its back because of pain yet there is nothing that the mother can do,” said Dr Muraguri.
He said the third dose of the tetanus vaccine targets at least 831,000 girls and women between the ages of 15 and 49 years.
This comes amid protests by the Catholic church following claims that the vaccine is laced with antigens that can cause sterility in women.
The Church has advised women not to participate in the vaccination programme.
Other counties that have been identified as high risk areas include Kilifi, Meru, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Baringo, West Pokot, Turkana, Samburu and Narok.