This archive report was first published on 17 June 2020.
On June 17, 2020, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) announced an additional Sh1.15 billion in financing for Kenya's vaccination programmes.
This increase in funding is timely, especially as the coronavirus pandemic has shifted focus away from diseases such as influenza, pneumonia, polio, rotavirus, and yellow fever.
These diseases remain top killers among children, and the additional funding will increase immunisation coverage and save lives.
However, to achieve 100 percent immunisation coverage, the government must also contribute to the vaccination programme by setting aside adequate cash to buy vaccines and educating the public on the importance of adhering to vaccination schedules.
Already, some poor countries have started detecting polio in areas previously declared free of the disease after immunisation programmes were paused due to Covid-19 lockdown and curfew measures.
Kenya had made progress in immunisation, but the number of vaccinated children in some counties has dropped to a 15-year low due to stockouts of vaccines, resulting in preventable deaths in remote rural areas and urban slums.
