The East African Standard (Nairobi)

November 2, 2006
Posted to the web November 3, 2006

Elizabeth Mwai
Nairobi

Two more suspected polio cases have been reported at the Dadaab refugee camp in Garissa District.

This comes as the Government launched a Sh18 million campaign against the disease in 28 districts.

The Director of Medical Services, Dr James Nyikal, said on Thursday two other campaigns estimated at Sh360 million would be carried out next year.

He said a surveillance team had detected symptoms of paralysis in two children at the cam. Last month, another suspected polio case, the first in 22 years, was reported in a three-year-old girl at the camp.

Nyikal said the children had been isolated and their samples taken to South Africa and the Kenya Medical Research Institute for analysis.

"We are treating any case of paralysis as polio and we appeal to parents who see their children develop weak limbs to take them to the nearest health centre for testing," he said.

Speaking to The Standard at the Ministry of Health headquarters, Nyikal said the campaign, sponsored by World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), targets 250,000 children aged below five.

Round one will take place between November 4 and 8 in Garissa, Wajir, Mandera and Moyale at Government and mission health facilities.

Tana River, Mwingi, Turkana, Thika, Meru, Isiolo and Kwale will be covered between December 2 and 6. Free vaccination against polio will also be done in Marsabit, Malindi, Tharaka, Lamu, Mombasa and Nairobi on the same dates.

Nyikal said vaccine worth Sh1 billion would be used in the campaigns. The second campaign, to be done in January, will target 5.5 million children.

WHO Director Mr David Okello raised concern over the outbreak of polio, saying Kenya had been recognised as a success story in eradicating the disease.

He said a technical team to prevent polio from spreading to other parts has been put in place, and urged donors to assist in the campaign.

"Polio is preventable and we cannot sit back We must stop it. We have the vaccines and technical knowledge, but we need logistical help," he said.

Unicef Kenya representative, Mr Heimo Laakkonen, said the organisation would fund the fourth round of the Horn of Africa anti-polio programme to the tune of Sh18.2 million. Laakkonen urged the Government to strengthen routine vaccinations to push up coverage to more than 80 per cent.

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