Kenya’s MoH initiates comprehensive oral cholera vaccination campaign to address outbreak

KENYA— The Ministry of Health (MoH) Kenya, has launched a comprehensive nationwide oral cholera vaccination (OCV) campaign to battle the ongoing cholera outbreak.

The OCV campaign is set to commence on 3rd August 2023 and will focus on the eight most-affected counties, including Homa Bay (Suba South), Kajiado (Kajiado East), Marsabit (Moyale), Nairobi (Kamukunji and Embakasi Central), Wajir (Wajir North), Mandera (Mandera East), Machakos, and Garissa.

The successful first round of vaccination conducted in February 2023 saw 2.2 million people above the age of 1 vaccinated in Nairobi, Garissa, Tana River, and Wajir, resulting in a significant reduction in cholera cases in those areas.

Building on this progress, the International Coordinating Group (ICG) has provided the Ministry of Health with 1.5 million doses of the Oral Cholera Vaccine for the upcoming campaign.

The Principal Secretary represented by Dr. Sultani Matendechero called upon all citizens to actively participate in the fight against cholera by adhering to essential public health measures and supporting the vaccination campaign.

PS Muriuki also highlighted the crucial role of the media in raising awareness and educating the public about cholera prevention.

The PS also reported that the MoH had also strengthened coordination activities, water, sanitation, and hygiene efforts, risk communication networks, community engagement, patient case management, and laboratory confirmation of cases in collaboration with county governments, line ministries, and partners.

During a media and stakeholders meeting held at Afya House in Nairobi, Ms. Mary Muriuki, the Principal Secretary for Public Health, and Professional Standards, emphasized the urgency of intervention as the cholera situation continues to escalate.

PS Muriuki also stressed the importance of additional preventive and promotive interventions to complement vaccination efforts.

The Ministry of Health’s announcement signifies a significant step forward in the battle against cholera, with hopes of curbing the outbreak and creating a safer and healthier future for all Kenyans.

Kenya battling a raging Cholera outbreak

Kenya is battling a cholera outbreak with 11,872 cases and 196 deaths reported prompting the government to roll out emergency oral cholera vaccination (OCV) across eight counties since October 2022.

The Ministry reports that as of 18th July 2023, the country has reported a staggering 11,181 cholera cases and 196 fatalities in 26 counties.

Furthermore, the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) stands at 1.7%, underscoring the gravity of the situation and the critical need for prompt action.

The MoH has underscored that the severity of the situation will be exacerbated by the upcoming El Nino rains between the coming months of September and October which may escalate the situation.

According to Dr. Emmanuel Okunga, Medical Epidemiologist at the MoH, Cholera is contracted from a bacterium vibrio cholerae that is generally transmitted through contaminated food or water. Once transmitted the incubation period may be between a few hours to five days.

Dr. Okunga added that in most cases, over 75 percent are asymptomatic and affected persons are infectious during the acute stage of the disease up to days after recovery with deaths occurring within hours after infection if not treated properly.

“Kenya continues to report a high burden of cholera with people dying from the disease. Various parts of the country have been mapped out as high risk of cholera,” Dr. Okunga added.

While speaking on the efficacy and safety of the oral cholera vaccine (OCV), Dr Marybeth C. Maritim representing Kenya National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (KENITAG) said that cholera is vaccine preventable with (OCV) which is very safe having been successfully used in other countries over 10 years.

“The vaccine will be given free of charge, it is administered orally, it is safe, and the same OCV vaccine type given to all age groups both adults and children over the age of one year,” Dr. Maritim added.

The vaccination exercise is made possible through collaborative work between the Ministry of Health and Counties, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF), and other partners.

Community members, parents, and caregivers are highly encouraged to take advantage of this potentially life-saving opportunity and be vaccinated and ensure their children receive the vaccination.

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