Why polio campaigns must reach every last child in Kenya

A child receives vaccination against polio in a Mother and Child Health (MCH) Clinic at Mukuru Health Centre, in Nairobi, Kenya

For a long time, no person in Kenya suffered the devastating disability that is caused by polio. In fact, the only reminder in the early 2000s was the victims in the streets of Nairobi, many of whom had been paralyzed as children and adults. Their lives were ravaged by this terrible, vaccine-preventable disease.

 Sadly, in 2013 a large outbreak of polio in Nigeria spread across the continent, affecting several countries on its way east. Kenya was not spared.  Fourteen new polio cases were confirmed. The polio virus struck those that were unvaccinated – the most vulnerable and the most excluded -- children in areas with poor access to health services, refugees, and nomadic communities.  Fortunately, a rapid response by the Government of Kenya brought the polio outbreak under control, and the last case was found in July 2013.  At that time, it seemed that the country was well on the road to being declared polio-free.