Relief as Measles and polio vaccines arrive
SEE ALSO :Measles kills more than Ebola
Ms Kariuki said the vaccines have been fully procured and paid for by the Government through an international agreement with the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). “Later this month, we expect to receive more vaccine procured through a joint investment between the Government of Kenya and the Global Alliance for Vaccines Initiative (GAVI), a key immunisation partner,” said the CS. Parents across the country and hospitals have been grappling with a shortage of vaccines since the beginning of the year, which got worse in the last two months. Polio, yellow fever, measles, and BCG are some of the vaccines that The Standard reported as being in short supply. Such exposed newborns to life- threatening diseases that could either leave them with paralysis like polio and TB meningitis which have such symptoms. However, the CS has assured the country that there is no shortage of vaccines and more consignments will be received at the depot in a short time.SEE ALSO :Insecurity now spurs measles spread in northern DR Congo
“We would therefore like to assure parents, guardians and the community that vaccines are available and urge them to continue taking children for immunization at their nearest health facilities,” she said. CS Kariuki said the Government spends more than Sh7 billion annually to provide immunisation services, with at least Sh1.2 billion spent on vaccine procurement. The ministry is responsible for providing immunisation services free of charge.We are undertaking a survey to help us improve our content for you. This will only take 1 minute of your time, please give us your feedback by clicking HERE. All responses will be confidential.
