• Health officers blame insecurity, poor roads on the failure to reach the underage children on the right time
• Vaccination for children boosts immunity to diseases and life expectancy.
Baringo health officials are concerned about the high numbers of children below the five years who fail to be immunised against common diseases.
The most affected parts are Tiaty, Baringo North and Baringo South subcounties which are marred by insecurity occasioned by banditry and cattle rustling.
“Insecurity and challenges like poor roads and staff shortage meant we did not manage to immunise the newborn children there in the right time,” county health executive Mary Panga said.
Panga noted that 1,010 out of the targeted 11,612 children had missed out the immunisation by the end of July 2019.
“1,336 had failed to be immunised out of the total 19,268 in 2018,” she said.
The county health boss further said a total of 1,843 children missed vaccination in 2016, another 1,727 in 2015 and 1,476 in 2017.
Panga spoke during a media briefing hosted by the Kenya Aids NGOs Consortium at a Kabarnet on Wednesday.
“We will keep holding more sensitisation forums to address the biting immunisation and malnutrition challenges affecting the children of Baringo,” Kanco Rift Valley regional coordinator Steven Ikonye said.
The World Health Organization recommends that every child below five years ought to be vaccinated against common diseases like polio, measles, yellow fever, tetanus, tuberculosis and pneumonia.
Eldama Ravine subcounty registered a better turn up compared to the other areas, owing to high literacy levels and access to healthcare services, similar to Baringo Central and Mogotio subcounties.
“Those who miss vaccination are highly vulnerable to common infections which may lead to their reduced life expectancy,” Panga said.
Also in attendance during the meeting were the health chief officer Dr. Gideon Toromo and his preventive healthcare counterpart Dr. Winnie Bore.
Toromo said despite offering expectant women porridge and tea in the county facilities, “the majority of them still opt for home deliveries, making it difficult to access the health of newborn kids,” he said
He said they have already trained 105 health workers on operational management, established over 140 outreach service centres, 21 immunisation sites.
The authorities have embraced a defaulter tracing mechanism targeting 100 per cent immunisation.
(edited by O. Owino)