Nakuru County has officially launched a vaccination campaign against measles-related diseases (MR) and typhoid that is being undertaken countrywide.
The County hopes to vaccinate at least 1.2 million children aged between 9 months and 15 years.
The figure includes 305,650 children aged under 5 years who will receive the measles-rubella jab, while another 916,949 children aged up to 14 years will receive the Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV).
The nationwide immunisation exercise is expected to run until July 15, 2025.
The campaign was prompted by sporadic measles outbreaks and declining vaccination rates since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recently, Nakuru County confirmed 18 measles cases, raising concerns about the potential for wider outbreaks if swift action is not taken.
Most of the targeted children are enrolled in schools which will serve as key vaccination sites alongside health facilities, places of worship and community outreach points.
Speaking at the campaign launch in Kiamaina, Bahati, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Health, Ms Roselyn Mungai, urged residents of all the 11 sub-counties to bring out eligible children in large numbers to receive their vaccines and thereby boost their immunity.
As part of the mobilisation efforts, students from Kiamaina Primary School and Community Health Promoters (CHPs) shared educational messages to encourage vaccine uptake.
“This is not just a health campaign; it’s a fight to secure our children’s future,” the CECM stated. “We cannot allow preventable diseases to rob us of the next generation.”
The CECM who was accompanied by the Director of Health, Dr. Daniel Wainaina; County Nursing Officer Wendy Tirop; members of the County Health Management Team (CHMT); and other senior government officials, stated that the county government had already conducted stakeholder engagements with the Ministry of Education, religious organisations, community groups, and the media to boost public awareness and counter vaccine misinformation.
County health officials have urged the public to cooperate fully to ensure high vaccination coverage and help prevent further outbreaks.
The nationwide immunisation campaign against Measles-Rubella and Typhoid Conjugate aims at vaccinating over 15 million children between 9 months and 14 years old.
The campaign, which started on July 5th and will run for 10 days until July 14th, is being implemented across all 47 counties.
This initiative is part of a broader effort by the Ministry of Health to protect children from these vaccine-preventable diseases.
The campaign is a supplementary immunisation activity meant to complement the routine immunisation services.
It is a strategic approach meant to reach a large number of people within a short period and is vital for controlling and potentially eradicating vaccine-preventable diseases.
By Jane Ngugi
