The Ministry of Health has called on parents, guardians and church leaders to ensure all children get vaccinated.
This comes amid concerns by the ministry that more than 30,000 children miss vaccination in the country, hence are a potential risk of a major disease outbreak.
Acting Health director general Patrick Amoth on Tuesday said despite government efforts to ensure vaccines are available, there are zero-dose children in the country who miss out on receiving any vaccine.
He said the missed children account for two to three per cent of the 1.5 million born in the country each year.
“We still have these children, the zero dose children out of the 1.5 million children born each year who never receive any vaccine,” Amoth said.
“That is a figure of nearly 30,000 to 45,000 children every year and cumulatively that number increases because every year more children are born therefore potentially putting at risk this country towards a huge outbreak.”
Amoth said despite the counties doing well in investing in infrastructure, it is time to invest in quality care programmes to ensure children receive the very best healthcare services.
He further acknowledged that the country still faces inequities in access to healthcare services, with counties in the Northern region of the country being affected the most.
“We are alive to the challenges that we have as a country so we need to work together to reduce those inequities so that a child born somewhere in Mandera has the same quality of life and chance to be able to survive, thrive and ensure they achieve their full potential,” Amoth said.
The country has in the recent past witnessed cases of vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio which has forced the ministry to conduct a series of vaccination campaigns in high-risk counties.
Similarly, an analysis by the ministry released in October showed that health workers are struggling to reach children with the final dose of the malaria vaccine, which is critical in sustaining protection.
The majority of the children who started vaccinations have dropped out without completing the fourth dose, the latest analysis showed.
