Fifteen districts out of 86 districts that are in high risk of contracting Polio disease shall have children under the age of five immunized in the entire North Rift region.

According to Kitale Hospital District Medical Officer of Health –DMOH Dr Philip Mbithi, the exercise which kicked off on Saturday shall be conducted in different forms to ensure that all the targeted children are reached to receive the vaccine.

Mbithi said that the immunizing team shall move to market centers, health institutions in the targeted districts and also move from house to house as he urged parents to avail their children for the exercise.

He said that the targeted districts in the region that are identified to be in high risk include Trans Nzoia West and Kwanza in Trans Nzoia county, three districts in Baringo county, all the six districts in Turkana county and four districts in West Pokot county.

“We are urging all the parents in the targeted areas to embrace the exercise and have their children immunized against this dangerous disease that has no cure. We want to assure them that this is a safe vaccine that has no side effects and thus it should be accepted by parents for the safety of their children,” said Dr Mbithi.

He said that exercise was slated to be conducted between July 14th and 18th in the first round while the second round of the exercise is expected to be done between August 25th and 29th this year.

The medical officer revealed that in his Trans Nzoia West District over 75,000 children are targeted to receive the vaccination.

Meanwhile over 500 children were immunized during the launching exercise of the campaign against Polio in the district held at Mitume dispensary within Kitale town.