By J, KNA
The Ministry of Health and the County Government of Nakuru have kicked off a three-week vaccination campaign targeting over 2000 health workers in the devolved unit.
The exercise that is being supported by the Washington State University–Global Health-Kenya aims to cover healthcare workers in public, private and faith-based facilities in all the 11 Sub-Counties.
Speaking during the launch of the vaccination drive, County Chief Officer for Public Health Ms Joyce Ncece emphasized that the exercise will not only protect healthcare workers from preventable diseases but also strengthen pandemic preparedness in the county.
“The campaign that ends on October 3, has zeroed in on health workers as they are at a higher risk of contracting influenza compared to the general public due to the nature of their work. They are also prone to transmit the virus to vulnerable patients under their care,” noted Ms. Ncece.
While pledging that they will reach even the remote parts of the county, the Chief Officer indicated that to protect the health and safety of patients and other healthcare workers, and to maintain immunity in the healthcare worker population, vaccination for influenza was highly recommended for all healthcare workers.
“Frontline health workers operate in a high-risk environment where there is possible exposure since some patients do not know they have infectious ailments. All healthcare workers in public, private and faith-based institutions within the devolved unit will receive doses of the latest formulation of influenza vaccine free of charge,” she disclosed.
The CECM noted that due to their occupation, healthcare workers are more likely to be exposed to, acquire and transmit vaccine-preventable diseases such as COVID-19, influenza, measles, rubella and pertussis.
While affirming that Governor Susan Kihika’s administration was committed to preventing and managing influenza among the County’s residents so as to protect them from severe flu and other respiratory tract illnesses, the Chief officer noted that the influenza virus contributes between 5 and 27 percent of medically attended cases of Acute Respiratory Illnesses (ARI) out of which an average of 10 percent get hospitalized with severe ARI in some facilities.
Ms Ncece said the devolved unit’s risk profile has been heightened as it lies on the northern corridor that connects the port of Mombasa to several East African Countries.
Nakuru, she noted, had been rendered vulnerable to a possible outbreak of influenza due to extensive travel and trade relations it has experienced with foreign countries and that it is a major tourist hub that receives many passengers from around the globe.
Complications from the flu are estimated to kill between 290,000 and 650,000 people globally each year. Data from influenza surveillance in Kenya over the last 14 years shows that the viruses circulate throughout the year, with peaks from February to April and June to November.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health indicate that a quarter of Kenyan patients who seek medical care for respiratory symptoms have the flu virus in their systems.
Director for Health Planning and Administration Dr Joy Mugambi advised anyone exhibiting symptoms, including chest discomfort or congestion, sore throat, headache and muscle aches, to seek treatment at the nearest health facility.
“With common cold fever is rare, onset of symptoms is quite gradual and there are rarely any aches or chills,” explained Dr Mugambi.
Other precautions apart from vaccination include limiting contacts with infected persons, high standards of sanitation practices like washing hands, disinfecting objects and surfaces, keeping warm and drinking plenty of fluids.
Medical Superintendent at Nakuru County Referral and Teaching Hospital (NCRTH), Dr James Waweru explained that Influenza virus A, which also circulates in birds and can move between species, is responsible for most flu infections and causes the deadliest pandemics — including the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu that killed as many as 100 million people.
Influenza virus B is found almost exclusively in humans, and causes less severe sickness.
Swine flu, which originates from pigs, was declared a pandemic in 2009 by WHO after the virus ravaged Asian countries and spread to the human population.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that swine flu has infected nearly 61 million persons in the US and caused the deaths of 12,469. Globally, 575,400 people have died.
Severe acute respiratory infection (Sari) is just as dangerous as the swine flu with both flu strains being spread through contact with bodily fluids of an infected person.
According to the World Health Organization, Kenya is among countries where these types of diseases are a major burden on the population. The UN body states that in Kenya, one in ten people dies from respiratory complications.
“All counties must work together to control influenza outbreaks before the arrival of the next pandemic. This includes building capacity to detect and respond to outbreaks, and strengthening health systems to improve the health of the most vulnerable and those most at risk,” says WHO in a statement on influenza.
Some of the symptoms listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) are high temperatures of 38 degrees or above, a cough that lasts 10 days, and difficulty in breathing.
In 2014 the Kenya National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (KENITAG) was directed by the Ministry of Health to provide an evidence-based recommendation on whether the seasonal influenza vaccine should be introduced into the national immunization program (NIP).
In 2016 KENITAG, whose secretariat is hosted by the National Vaccine and Immunization Program (NVIP), recommended the introduction of the annual seasonal influenza vaccine among children 6 to 23 months of age. However, the recommendation was subject to implementation of a pilot study.
Currently in Africa only a few countries issue the vaccine annually including Ivory Coast, Egypt, Libya, Mauritius, Tunisia and South Africa.
Every year, the WHO recommends a cocktail covering three or four bases at once — usually two subtypes of the Influenza virus A species, and two types of Influenza virus B.
The choice of vaccine mix relies on year-round work by the WHO’s Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System, created more than 50 years ago.