- However, the numbers in the North Eastern region are dismal with perceptions and attitudes still preventing people from taking vaccines.
- The ministry said that with the virus killing far fewer people, the public has moved to its pre-pandemic way.
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As of December 2022, the Ministry of Health had vaccinated 4.9 million pregnant and lactating mothers between 18 and 45 years.
According to government data, that accounts for only a third or 34 per cent of the number of women of reproductive age with complete Covid-19 doses.
The data shows that most of those vaccinated live in major cities and towns like Nairobi, Nakuru, Kiambu, Kakamega, Kisumu, Nyeri, Murang'a, Machakos and Bungoma.
However, the numbers in the North Eastern region are dismal with perceptions and attitudes still preventing people from taking vaccines.
The ministry said that with the virus killing far fewer people, the public has moved to its pre-pandemic way.
“Health professionals have also evolved from taking care of sick people to prevention and encouraging communities to take on vaccinations,” they said.
The ministry, Jhpiego, a non-profit affiliated with the John Hopkins and the International Vaccine Access Centre studied how pregnant and lactating women, community members, healthcare providers and policymakers make vaccine decisions.
Misinformation and disinformation
The study also explored their perceptions of risk and where they get information about the vaccines in rural and urban communities in Garissa, Kakamega, Nairobi, Meru, Makueni, Embu, Kiambu, Nakuru and Mombasa.
“Preliminary results showed that while communities trusted healthcare workers and sought information from them about vaccines, healthcare workers had little or conflicting information to share with them,” they said.
In response, the ministry and Jhpiego developed fact sheets and posters targeting the community and healthcare workers.
Lisa Noguchi, Jhpiego's director of Maternal and Newborn Health, said the move is supposed to help with vaccine uptake in pregnant and lactating women in the country.
"When healthcare workers have little information and cannot answer the safety questions mothers have about vaccines, it can lead to more vaccine hesitancy,” she said.
MoH Head of the Division of Health Promotion Gladys Mugambi, said the factsheets and posters have all the information to encourage vaccination.
“The fact sheet and two posters describe the evidence available about the safety of vaccines, where to get the jabs and even offers a toll-free number to call (719) for any assistance in case of any health questions and concerns about vaccines," she said.
Unvaccinated mothers
Department Head of Family Health at the Ministry Dr Bashir Issack Bashir, said there are deadly consequences when women are unvaccinated.
“Studies show that pregnant women with Covid-19 had a 2.4 times higher risk of needing intensive care. Pregnant women are also at times at higher risk of death compared with other women with the disease who weren't with child,” he said.
The study involved several pregnant women who were hospitalised with covid-19 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda between March 2020 and March 2021.
"Pregnant women looking for guidance on covid-19 vaccines received conflicting information from media and people whose opinion the women considered important to their well-being, about the safety of the vaccines," Dr Bashir said.