Turkana upscales Measles Rubella vaccination after outbreak in 4 sub-counties

Turkana County Government will upscale the Measles Rubella vaccination campaign in four border sub-counties following an outbreak, the County Department of Health and Sanitation has announced.

Measles is a contagious viral disease that mostly affects children, with those under five years of age at high risk. 

The accelerated vaccination campaign, which will run for seven days, is supported by UNICEF through the National Vaccine and Immunisation Program.

During this period, the county has also been encouraged to leverage the opportunity to upscale other routine vaccinations.

The department has already met various stakeholders and formulated a plan for the accelerated vaccination in Loima, Lokichoggio, Lokiriama, and Turkana North that targets children aged between nine and 59 months. 

County Health Promotion Coordinator Ruth Areman asked parents and guardians to ensure the children receive the doses to protect them against the disease. 

"We will continually educate the public to improve immunisation rates and the need for them to share information on unvaccinated and under-vaccinated children within their localities so that they get the jab," Areman said. 

The MMR protects children against measles, mumps, and rubella, and they should get two doses of the jab, first at 12–15 months and the second between four and six years. 

Head of the Family Health Division, Gabriel Lopodo, stressed the need for high routine measles immunisation coverage to reduce the number of active cases of measles.

"An active case finding will limit measles transmission," he said. 

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• Turkana upscales Measles Rubella vaccination after outbreak in 4 sub-counties
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