This archive report was first published on 27 June 2021.
Published on June 27, 2021, Kisumu County has received 171,000 doses of measles and rubella vaccine to support an ongoing vaccination campaign.
The doses have been distributed to 200 vaccination posts across the county, targeting 158,881 children aged 9-59 months who missed out on the first round of vaccination between January and May.
According to Florence Akech, an Expanded Program on Immunization logistician, the first round covered only 14,098 children, with 7,208 children vaccinated in the second round so far.
Speaking during the launch of the program at Nyalenda Health Center in Kisumu Central Sub-County, Akech expressed optimism that all unvaccinated children in the area shall be reached by the close of the campaign.
"We are taking advantage of public meetings, barazas, and other sensitization drives to spread the message and ensure all our children receive the jabs," she said.
Dr. Gregory Ganda, Kisumu County Chief Officer in charge of Health, attributed the poor uptake of the vaccine to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has reduced the number of people visiting health facilities.
"This pandemic has slowed the traffic we used to witness in our health facilities," he said.
Measles remains a big threat to unvaccinated children, and every effort will be made to reach those who have not been vaccinated, Dr. Ganda emphasized.
