The Ministry of Health through the Disease Surveillance and Response Unit, will undertake polio immunization campaign in 15 counties including Busia that are at risk of the polio pandemic.
The exercise will start across the earmarked counties from Wednesday to Sunday. All children under the age of five will receive the polio vaccine.
Speaking during the training program for Sub County Health Management Committee teams at Farm View Hotel in Busia town, Dr Emmanuel Wandera from DSRU said Kenya was forced to take precautions in polio-prone counties following four polio cases that were reported in Nigeria.
“We want to make Kenya polio free by 2018, thus the need to ensure that counties that are at risk were put under scrutiny,” Dr Wandera said.
Busia Deputy Governor Kizito Wangalwa who formally opened the training program thanked the national government, World Health Organization and UNICEF for sponsoring the polio campaign.
Wangalwa urged those who will miss the five-day exercise to take their children to the nearest health centre to receive the vaccine.
County Director of Health Dr Melsa Lutomia said they are targeting to administer polio vaccine to about 182,000 children across the seven sub counties.
Dr Lutomia said the mobile team will undertake door to door campaign to ensure that all children who are eligible receive polio vaccines.