Nairobi, October 25 (IANS). The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed its support for Kenya’s efforts to end polio in its national immunization programme. Shaheen Niloufer, UNICEF representative in Kenya, said the program is maintaining an average 85% vaccination rate to reach the 88% vaccination target.
“We have made great progress in eliminating polio in Kenya, but much more work is needed. We have to reach the last 1% of people because everyone’s safety is important,” Nilofer said in a statement on World Polio Day in Nairobi on Thursday. Everyone’s safety depends on it.”
According to UNICEF, the current polio outbreak in Kenya is being driven by multiple factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted routine vaccination services and the health system has yet to fully recover.
The UN agency also said climate change has impacted Kenya’s vaccination programs. Drought and floods are leading to displacement of children and their families and damage to health centers where routine vaccination services are provided.
Nilofar said, “We have a plan to deal with the threat of polio which is simple and safe. We have to vaccinate all children to protect them from polio.”
The statement came as Kenya’s health ministry reported on October 19 that 3.71 million children had been vaccinated against polio in the government’s new initiative. This vaccination campaign was carried out in nine areas, including Nairobi. The ministry has planned to conduct a second vaccination drive on November 9-13.
UNICEF says the spread of polio increases due to long-running conflict in neighboring Somalia and South Sudan and overcrowding in refugee camps. Poor hygiene and sanitation conditions in the camps make this more serious, as it leads to greater spread of the virus.
Polio is a disease that attacks a person’s spinal cord, causing paralysis. World Polio Day is celebrated every year on 24 October to explain the importance of polio vaccination and to appreciate the efforts of parents, professionals and volunteers who are contributing to eradicating polio.
–IANS
AS/