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Kenyans took their children to be vaccinated against polio in large numbers despite the Catholic Church asking them to boycott the campaign.
Statistics released by the Ministry of Health indicate that some 1.8 million (98.4 per cent) children were immunised in the 11 targeted counties during the second vaccination.
The campaign was launched after an assessment showed that some parts of the country were at high risk of polio.
The Catholic Church had asked Kenyans to boycott the campaign after casting doubts on the safety of the vaccine but the Government insisted the vaccine was safe and urged parents to take their children for immunisation.
During the campaign some counties exceeded their vaccination targets. These are Tana River where 71,043 children (or 106 per cent) were vaccinated against the target of 66,074 and Marsabit where 63,535 children were vaccinated (105 per cent) against the target of 60,565.
The others were Homa Bay (103 per cent), Migori (103 per cent), Siaya (102 per cent), Turkana (101 per cent) and Garissa (100 per cent).
Narok County, however, recorded the lowest turnout with 192,147 (or 82 per cent) children vaccinated against the targeted 233,547.
Director of Medical Services Nicholas Muraguri, yesterday blamed the lower turnout on floods.
“The recent flash floods in Narok displaced many residents and caused them to move. This is responsible for the lower-than-expected turnout of children for vaccination,” said Dr Muraguri.
Lower than expected
He added: “We are monitoring the situation. Parents who missed the vaccination have been advised to visit clinics to get the same. If necessary we may do a fresh round of vaccination.”
Apart from Narok, Mandera and Wajir counties also recorded turnouts lower than anticipated, despite bordering Somalia where the risk of polio is high.
In Mandera, 108,965 children (89 per cent) were vaccinated against the targeted 122,109. In Wajir, 150,659 children were reached (or 95 per cent) against a target of 158,067.
Polio is a highly infectious disease which affects the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis in hours. It mainly affects children under the age of five whose immunity to diseases is still relatively weak.
Muraguri, however, downplayed fears that the risk of polio is high in counties that did not meet vaccination targets.
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