PHOTO: Polio vaccination being administered to a child [FB]
The World Health Organization (WHO) has commended the
government over a vaccination campaign that resulted in over 920,000 children
being vaccinated against polio.
The exercise was conducted in high prone areas and
particularly in the North Eastern counties of Mandera, Marsabit, Wajir and Garissa.
A further 17,000 children in border areas benefited from the
exercise, which was conducted in February.
“Kenya successfully vaccinated over 920,000 children during
the recent #Polio Vaccination Campaign (Feb 2025) in Mandera, Marsabit, Wajir
& Garissa counties!” WHO said.
The statistics were obtained using cross-border efforts and the use of real-time data tracking.
Kenya’s Ministry of Health had earlier launched the exercise
in part of the second phase of mass polio vaccination in high-risk counties, which ran from February 21 to 25, 2025.
The move followed concerns over reports of the disease near
the Kenya- Ethiopia border, which prompted the authorities to deploy urgent
measures to prevent further spread.
“In October 2024, there was an outbreak of polio in
Ethiopia, following the confirmation of one case of type 2 circulating
vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV2) fifteen (15) kilometers from the Kenyan
border in Moyale,” the Health PS Mary Muthoni stated.
“It is important to note that any confirmed case of polio indicates that more than 200 unreported cases may exist, highlighting the importance of enhanced surveillance and public health response measures to prevent any potential spread of the outbreak.
Another campaign was held in December 2024, coordinated by
the neighboring countries.
The next polio vaccination campaign is expected to take place later in April.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a viral disease that can cause paralysis. It's highly contagious and mainly affects children under the age of five.
Spreads by person-to-person contact, especially through the fecal-oral route. It can also spread through contaminated food or water.
About 75 per cent of polio cases are asymptomatic with mild symptoms including fever and sore throat.
More severe symptoms include headache, neck
stiffness, and paresthesia.
Polio can be prevented through vaccination.
