Thousands of residents in Nakuru can now breathe a sigh of relief after the County Government procured key vaccines and other assorted drugs worth Sh22 million.
The drugs included doses of yellow fever, hepatitis B, and typhoid vaccines, which Governor Susan Kihika said will ensure timely and effective care for residents and international travelers.
While dispatching the drugs to health facilities, Deputy Governor, Dr David Kones, said the vaccines are adequate and that an additional consignment of medicines and vaccines worth Sh4 million will be delivered to the devolved unit in coming weeks in line with the Governor’s commitment to strengthen healthcare access and improve the well-being of all the residents.
The Deputy Governor announced that the vaccines will be distributed in all public health facilities across the 11 Sub-Counties and that all facilities will be stocked within a week.
“To enhance efficiency, 75 percent of the supplies will go directly to health facilities, while 25 percent will be reserved as buffer stock to mitigate supply chain disruptions,” stated the DG.
In 2022, Kenya experienced its first yellow fever outbreak in over a decade. The Ministry of Health implemented a national incident management structure, including deploying a rapid response team and developing a response plan.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that travelers aged nine months and older get vaccinated against yellow fever when visiting areas with a risk of transmission.
In Kenya, vaccination is recommended for travelers visiting Lake Nakuru national park, Tsavo East, Tsavo West, and Masai Mara game reserves.
Yellow Fever Vaccines are also recommended where the outbreak has occurred, as vaccines provide a life-long immunity in humans.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), vaccination provides effective immunity within 10 days, for 80 to 100 per cent of people vaccinated, and within 30 days for more than 99 per cent of people vaccinated.
Although everyone is eligible for yellow fever vaccination, infants below nine months, pregnant women, individuals with severe allergies to egg protein, and those with severe immunodeficiency due to symptomatic HIV/AIDS are exempted.
Yellow fever is easy to deal with because of the availability of vaccines.
WHO notes that yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease, transmitted by infected mosquitoes, of Aedes species.
The disease transmitted from person to person presents itself with fever, headache, jaundice, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue.
The virus incubates in the human body for three to six days, with the majority of people not experiencing symptoms, which are likely to disappear after three to four days.
If not managed, it gets to the second stage affecting main organs like kidneys, causing bleeding and resulting in death.
Health experts indicate that the best prevention for outbreaks is through vaccination of the majority of the population. If someone gets yellow fever disease and recovers, they also develop immunity to the virus.
The DG further noted that vaccines are central to the reduction of the threat of typhoid while the world follows through on its water and sanitation improvement programs as part of Sustainable Development Goals.
The World Health Organization estimates that there are as many as 21 million cases of typhoid annually.
The International Vaccine Institute’s study shows that typhoid is far from being a minor problem in Africa.
Those most at risk from typhoid are children living in densely populated urban areas with inadequate water and sanitation.
The Hepatitis B vaccine was added to Kenya’s immunization program in 2002. The vaccine is available for free at over 9,500 health facilities, including public, private, faith-based, and NGO facilities.
According to medical experts, children born with hepatitis B have a 90 percent chance of developing chronic hepatitis B, and a 25 percent chance of dying from liver disease related to hepatitis B as an adult.
The Hepatitis B vaccine is given in three doses at 0, 1, and 6 months of age. The third dose is required for full protection.
A majority of liver cancer patients in the North Rift and western region have tested positive for Hepatitis B, according to a study conducted by researchers at Moi University and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTHR).
The study dubbed ‘Hepwek project’ sought to establish the risk factors of liver cancer from August 2022 to February 2024 in Baringo, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet and the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, which also receives patients from Western region.
From the findings released earlier this year, researchers found an association between Hepatitis B and the high prevalence of liver cancer in the three counties even as health experts raised concern over a shortage of Hepatitis B vaccine in most county hospitals.
Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and it can cause both acute and chronic disease. The study sampled 200 patients diagnosed with chronic liver diseases and those suspected of liver cancer in the three counties and at MTRH
The World Health Organization data indicates that in 2019, viral hepatitis, including acute cases, cirrhosis and liver cancer accounted for 1.1 million deaths globally.
By Jane Ngugi
