Kenya's health authorities have declared that they will be launching a mass vaccination drive for Measles this week to curb infant and child deaths. This emergency vaccination exercise will be set off in 16 districts and aims to protect nearly thousands of children who are between the ages of nine months and five years.
Nearly 1,600 cases of measles have been reported from all over the country with Nairobi recording 16 deaths. According to a leading physician in the country, this is quite an unusual strain of the disease that has gripped the East African nation. The jab is known to be effective in offering protection against the disease.It is estimated that nearly 1 million children die each year to measles world-wide, with 450,000 being from Africa alone. Though, three out of four children in Kenya have received vaccination, it is imperative that at least 95% of children are vaccinated to bring about a reduction in the number of measles cases and deaths due to the disease.
