Health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale, has urged all County Governments to collect the over 6 million vaccine doses from regional depots.
Duale flagged off 3 million doses of BCG and 3.2 million doses of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) on Thursday, June 12, in a bid to address the recent vaccine shortage the country has experienced.
Speaking during the flag-off ceremony, the CS said that governors should ensure the swift collection and supply of the vaccines to all healthcare facilities without delay. The CS noted that facilities in remote and underserved areas should be prioritised during the exercise.
Duale asserted that the swift supply of these vaccines, which will be at the regional depots before the end of the week, will be critical in ensuring that children's vaccination services return to normalcy.
"With today's vaccines now in the country, I'm calling upon all the County Governments through the Council of Governors and the County Executive Committee members for health to give priority in the collection of these vaccines from our regional depots and ensure that distribution to health facilities is facilitated," Duale stated.
"The vaccines will reach our regional vaccine stores by the end of this week, and I urge the county health teams to act without delay so that we can fully restore the routine immunisation across the country," he added.
The health boss has further urged parents and guardians to remain vigilant and ensure that they visit the nearest healthcare facilities to have their children vaccinated and catch up on any missed doses.
Duale has also urged Kenyans to immediately get in touch with the ministry, through relevant health authorities, if they experience any vaccine stockouts or a delay in vaccine services.
"I call upon our parents and guardians to remain always vigilant and to be in the first line of the public health support team. We will all ensure that no child in our country is left behind in our immunisation programs," he said.
On the other hand, the ministry has raised concerns about an emerging global shortage of the Rotavac Frozen vaccine, which is used to protect children against diarrhoea, a shortage that is expected to escalate from the second quarter of 2025, according to the CS.
According to the CS, the ministry is on high alert and is preparing healthcare workers on how to manage the situation once the shortage of vaccines intensifies.
"As I noted last week, the country and indeed the world is grappling with the global disruption of the vaccine supply chain, but despite these challenges, the government of Kenya remains steadfast in its mission to uphold every child's rights to immunisation," the CS said.
