Principal Secretary State Department for Medical Services Harry Kimtai announced that the Ministry Of Health has allocated Sh1.25 billion for urgent procurement of routine childhood vaccines.
He said the vaccines include BCG, Oral Polio, Tetanus-Diphtheria, and Measles Rubella, which had reached critically low levels in the country.
" As of today, we are pleased to announce the receipt of the following vaccines: 1,209,500 doses Measles Rubella vaccines, 3,032,000 doses Oral Polio Vaccines (bOPV), 1,000,000 doses Tetanus-Diptheria vaccines and 2.120.000 doses BCG vaccines.
Kimtai said the vaccines that were received are currently being processed for urgent distribution to the nine regional vaccine stores across the country.
'To expedite this process, the Ministry of Health has engaged additional refrigerated trucks to ensure these lifesaving vaccines reach our health facilities and communities by the second week of June 2024," he said.
He called on healthcare workers to collaborate with community health teams to ensure all children who missed vaccinations return to the facilities and catch up on their immunization schedule.
"We also urge all caregivers to bring their children back to the facilities for immunization as vaccine supply has now normalized in the country," he said.
The PS said they will continue engaging the National Treasury to ensure increased and dedicated resources are allocated to the immunization program, ensuring stable vaccine supplies.
"We acknowledge the role of our immunization partners, the media, and civil society in amplifying and raising awareness of the vaccine stockout issues. This indicates a strong health-seeking behavior in our communities and the excellent demand for vaccines in Kenya."
