Lodwar – November 15, 2024 (Public Communications and Media Relations)
Turkana County has completed vaccinating 459,712 children under the age of 10 during the second round of a mass polio vaccination campaign conducted from November 9th to 13th, 2024.
This door-to-door campaign targeting all sub-counties, including Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Settlement, marked a significant increase of over 60,000 children compared to the first round conducted in early October.
According to Deputy Director of Public Health, Daniel Esimit, the campaign also informed the county of the need to strengthen immunization services, including revamping cold chain systems, particularly along border areas where challenges persist.
The Deputy Director, speaking during the review meeting of the campaign, emphasized the importance of strengthening community-based surveillance systems to improve outbreak responsiveness.
“Routine immunization and robust disease surveillance systems are critical to reducing outbreaks and ensuring early response,” he said.
While making the county’s presentation on the polio campaign, Peter Etee – County Health Records Officer – highlighted a notable achievement which saw the vaccination of 1,550 children who had never received any previous vaccines, also known as “zero-dose” cases.
Efforts included vaccinating 1,300 children at border points and mapping migratory populations to ensure that children missed during the campaign could be targeted in follow-up efforts.
The campaign involved community health promoters who are trained in screening for polio and locating immunization defaulters while enhancing community-based disease surveillance.
The Kenya Red Cross Society was recognised for the role they played, particularly in Suguta Sub-county, where logistical and technical support ensured the campaign’s success within the area of the county prone to insecurity.
The meeting had partner representatives from National Ministry of Health, Kenya Red Cross Society, International Rescue Committee, Core Group Partners Project, and World Health Organization Kenya.
