Kenya resumes Measles vaccination programme amid Covid crisis
measles vaccination
As a response to the reemergence of measles, which surged during the Covid restrictions, Kenya has resumed its measles vaccination programme onpriority.
In 22 of Kenya's 47 counties where outbreaks are highest, a 10-day campaign is underway for four million children aged nine months to five years. The aim is to protect them against highly contagious measles and rubella.
According to the health ministry, measles is the third most common vaccine-preventable cause of death among children. In 2020, less than half of the children in the East African country had received their second dose of the vaccine, while 85 per cent had received the first dose.
A total of 16,061 health workers will be involved in the exercise.
Efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO) to assess the state of vaccination in Kenya revealed a major increase in unvaccinated children. A record number of unvaccinated children, a cumulative group of more than 2.1 million susceptible children, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic contributed to breakouts, notedthe ministry.
WHO recommends that at least 95 per cent of the combined coverage of MCV1 and MCV2 vaccines is required to prevent outbreaks. However, since 2013, the number of first doses being administered across sub-Saharan Africa has stagnated at 69 per cent.
The WHO reports that in 2019, only seven countries had reached 95 per cent vaccination coverage against measles.
According to WHO estimates, 16.6 million children in Africa did not receive supplementary vaccination against measles from January 2020 to April 2021.
During efforts to contain the Covid outbreak, the WHO reported tens of thousands of cases of measles in eight African countries in April.
The most effective means of keeping these children safe is the vaccine, says UNICEF representative Maniza Zaman in Kenya. Zaman alsoadded that unless the virus circulation is stopped, children under five are at a greater risk of dying from complications related to measles.
In 2020, only 11 countries met their targets for measles surveillance, according to the WHO.
The number of global measles cases more than quadrupled in the last 23 years. From 132,490 cases in 2016 to 869,770 cases in 2019 a steep increase can be seen, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 207,500 deaths were reported, nearly doubling mortality rates.