Third Round of Polio Vaccine Targets 189,735 Children in Wajir

Wajir – The Department of Health has kicked off its third polio vaccination campaign in the County, spanning five days in January with the primary goal of immunizing 189,735 children under the age of five.

The initiative comes in response to the confirmed cases of eight circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus instances in Kenya. 

The County Government of Wajir has been at the forefront of state efforts while retorting the significance of vaccinating every child to curb the transmission of the poliovirus and combat other vaccine-preventable diseases.

International aid partners such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, the Core Group Project, Save the Children, and others, have been acknowledged by County Department of Health for their support in the ongoing efforts to eradicate polio and tackle other preventable diseases.

The Five Day Vaccination Drive aims to safeguard children under 5 from polio. Photo/ Abdirahman Mohamed

The third round of the Polio Vaccination campaign is spearheaded by the Ministry of Health and is implemented in Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa counties. The campaign was postponed in November last year due to heavy rainfall in the region caused by the El-Nino rains.

The vaccination campaign aims to reach a total of 755,011 children under the age of five across the region. Additionally, 238,447 children aged between 5 and 15 years in Fafi and Dadaab sub-counties, as well as all refugee camps in Garissa, will be included.