Health ministry launches countrywide measles immunisation campaign

The Ministry of Public Health has launched a countrywide integrated measles vaccination campaign to curb the death of infants from the disease.
The drive, which will run for seven days from September 19, is targeted at the over 1.3 million children who have not been vaccinated against the disease since July 2006.

This initiative comes as the government shifts focus to preventive health care.

Measles has become a major public concern in the country and in northern Kenya refugee camps in particular.

More than 70 cases of the disease have been reported in Fafi district of Eastern Province while 40 cases have been identified in Kakuma refugee camp in Turkana Central District.

The government has been unable to screen refugees flooding into the country through Kenya’s porous northern border.

The ministry in partnership with World Health Organisation, Unicef, Kenya Red Cross and other development partners have set aside $1.8Million for this initiative.

Mrs Beth Mugo, the Public Health minister, says the ministry will administer the vaccine nationwide through mobile clinics and existing immunisation centers.
“In addition we will visit nursery schools, kindergartens, children’s homes and places of worship to ensure all children younger than 5 years have been vaccinated,” the minister said.

A similar measles vaccination campaign reached more than one million children in 2006 following a measles outbreak in the country. Those within the age bracket who had already received the vaccination will be re-vaccinated.

Dr Sharif Shahnaaz, director of Medical Services, says that the first immunisation is not 100 per cent effective in protecting children against the disease.
Due to the high costs of administering vaccination, children in Africa are typically vaccinated only once from measles unlike is the case in the rest of the world where they are vaccinated twice.

However due to extensive vaccination campaigns in Africa, the United Nations commission for Africa says that the incidence of measles on the continent has dropped by an average of 75 per cent.

Extra security
The integrated campaign will also administer Vitamin A supplements to over seven million children countrywide below the age of five years and an oral polio vaccine to 113,286 children in Turkana District.

Security has been beefed up in these areas in order to ensure that the initiative is a success.

In total, 4974 immunisation facilities will be used, 9894 vaccinaters, 4974 volunteers, 462 mobile vaccinators and 843 vehicles.