The government has launched a National Polio Vaccination Drive targeting 7.4 million children to prevent a resurgence in the country.

The Vaccination Drive is through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Kenya, World Health Organization (WHO), and other health partners and will be undertaken in 10 counties.

The 5-day vaccination campaign against polio is set to kick off phase one, where 2.5 million doses will be administered in Nairobi, Kiambu, Garissa, and Kajiado Counties from 24th to 28th August 2023.

After that, it will proceed in September and end in October at Tana River, Wajir, Mandera, Machakos, Lamu, Kajiado, and Kitui counties.

Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni speaking during the launch, said the government has spearheaded the fight against polio with unwavering commitment.

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“ Immunization, particularly of children under five, has been a cornerstone of our approach. This cost-effective public health intervention has been instrumental in driving down polio cases and creating a safer environment for our children,” she said.

On his part, Health Director-General Patrick Amoth noted that out of 1.5 million children born annually, only 3 per cent are not vaccinated.

“As a country the percentage of our children who are falling into the new rise of Kenya Demographic Survey of 2022 is 80 per cent with an accrued birth rate of 1.5 million . It means our 300,000 children are not vaccinated. Our zero dose children have stagnated at 3 per cent every year,” he said.

Further, he said that the three rounds of emergency polio vaccination campaigns target children under five years, and Kenya's children must benefit from available science and technology.

The Ministry of Health has reported that the first two cases were reported from Garissa in May and later escalated to six in June, where the Garissa County’s Primary Health Surveillance team picked the six cases of children identified in two refugee camps of Dadaab and Hagadera.