Kenya confirms 4 polio cases as vaccination campaign kicks off

Kenya has confirmed four new polio cases and one event of the same, bringing the total to five.

The four cases were detected in healthy children in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Turkana West sub county.

The Ministry of Health said that the first case was identified during routine screening of new arrivals, while others were discovered during follow- up investigations.

Consequently, the government plans to launch a vaccination campaign that will kick off on Monday, targeting nine high-risk counties.

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The vaccination campaign will be cover Nairobi, Machakos, Kiambu, Kajiado ,Busia, Bungoma, Trans-Nzoia, West Pokot, and Turkana  counties.

In Busia, Bungoma, Trans-Nzoia, West Pokot, and Turkana counties, the campaign will target children under 10 years old.

In selected sub-counties in Machakos, Kajiado and Kiambu counties the campaign will target children under 5 years.

The selected sub counties in Machakos are Athi River, Mavoko, Kangundo and Matungulu.

While in Kajiado the campaign will target Kajiado East and North; in Kiambu county the targeted sub counties are Thika, Juja, Kiambu town, Kabete, Kiambaa and Kikuyu.

The sub counties were selected due to the polio event that was detected in Eastleigh.

In July 2024, the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) confirmed a positive environmental sample from Eastleigh, in Kamukunji sub county, Nairobi.

Since it is not confirmed that the event was from a resident of the area or a visitor, the selected sub counties are also known as the “bedroom” of Nairobi, the term coined from the fact that a good number of people work in Nairobi but live or “sleep”, in those sub counties.

A polio case is the detection of the virus from an individual after testing, while a polio event is when the virus is detected in human and/or environmental waste (sewers).

However, in medical terms, one polio case means an outbreak.

Polio is a disease targeted for global eradication, hence a single confirmed case is classified as a Public Health Event of International Concern (PHEIC).

The World Health Organisation describes polio as a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours.

The virus is transmitted through person-to-person, and spreads mainly through the fecal oral route or contaminated water or food. It later multiplies in the intestines.

Initial symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness of the neck and pain in the limbs.

One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis affecting the legs. Among those paralysed, 5–10 per cent die when their breathing muscles become immobilised.

 Why the government collects your feces between 5am-7am

Towards the end of every month, government officials wake up very early to do environmental surveys by collecting samples from sewers to take for testing. The samples must be from sewers that are not polluted with detergents and waste from factories.

In Nairobi there are six sites.

 “The reason why we do Polio surveillance is because polio is one the diseases that is being targeted for eradication. Unlike other diseases, polio causes permanent disability,” said a Ministry of Health representative during a social media sensitisation workshop

Apart from environmental surveillance, every month, five samples from new arrivals at refugee camps are taken to Kemri for testing.

The stool is collected 24 hours apart, and, since polio is a live virus, the samples are stored in a cold storage not less than 8 degrees.

The samples can be collected from children below 15 years or anyone presenting symptoms.

According to the Ministry of Health, a confirmed cVDPV outbreak in Mbale District, Uganda, which borders Bungoma county, has heightened the risk of polio transmission to counties in the western region.

Polio mainly affects children under 5 years. However, unvaccinated individuals can contract the disease.

According to Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni, The Polio Endgame Strategy aims for over 95 per cent vaccination coverage and the introduction of a second dose of Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV), targeting 4.3 million children in 9 high-risk counties.

 "Polio is classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), and a single confirmed case triggers a vaccination response within 14 days. Risk analysis is conducted quarterly," she said.

On current vaccination rates among children, PS Muthoni said oral Polio Vaccine 3 coverage for Epidemiological Week 38 in 2024 stands at 87 per cent, showing a significant improvement over the past decade.

On monitoring the cases, each sub-county is assigned a target for Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) cases in children under 15 years. Samples are sent to Kemri's polio lab for testing, with weekly monitoring. 

 The upcoming Supplementary Immunisation Activity aims to reach a cumulative total of 3,843,275 children, including 2,021,663 children under 10 years of age and 1,821,612 children under 5 years in nine high-risk counties: Busia, Bungoma, Trans Nzoia, West Pokot, and Turkana.

 Since inception, the Immunisation programme has assisted in addressing key killer diseases for children under the age of five. 

"Recognising that vaccination has been one of the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions, the State Department of Public Health and Professional Standards is working to ensure that the immunisation services offered in the country are of high quality and that they are available, acceptable, affordable and accessible to all Kenyans at all levels. For this to be achieved, it is important that communities get more involved in the planning, implementation and monitoring of immunization services," said Muthoni.