By Seliphar Machoni
With teary eyes, Pendo, a one-year-old, looked at the doctor preparing the malaria vaccine in a
syringe, ready to administer it to her at Kakamega General Hospital.
Although the vaccine was crucial for her health and malaria prevention, the way Pendo clenched
her mother's hand tightly showed she was not ready for the injection.
Her mother, Margret, was among the many mothers who woke up early in the morning to beat
the long queue at Kakamega General Hospital, bringing their babies to receive the malaria
vaccine.
During the recent floods, many families were displaced, leading to a significant spread of
malaria, hence the urgent need for vaccination.
To prevent a malaria outbreak, the county government has rolled out vaccination drives and
distributed mosquito nets across the region's two million population.
The Department of Health had initially warned about a surge in malaria cases following heavy
downpours in the county.
Kakamega County Health Executive Benard Wesonga said they are partnering with the Centre
for Behavior Change and Communication under UNICEF to intensify the mass vaccination
drive.
Dr. Wesonga urged residents to ensure their children get vaccinated against malaria, especially
those below five years old.
"The immunization of children under five years has been ongoing since the introduction of
vaccines. After the heavy downpour, we projected an upsurge in malaria cases due to stagnant
water and bushy areas where mosquitoes breed and multiply," he said.
"That is why we are advocating for the vaccination of vulnerable children and pregnant
mothers,” he added.
The Health CEC also mentioned that for the adult population, they have launched the distribution
of mosquito nets across the county.
"We are distributing over 300,000 mosquito nets across the county, with two people per
household expected to receive the treated nets that repel mosquitoes," said Wesonga.
Community Health Promoters (CHPs) have been going around the villages, registering those
who will benefit from the initiative.
“We are also encouraging people to drain stagnant water around their homes to destroy mosquito
breeding sites," said Wesonga.
The Health CEC announced that they also have antimalarial medication available for treating
malaria in households, which the CHPs are distributing.
"We have adequate malaria drugs in our health facilities across the county. The 4,250 CHPs are
doing a great job," he said.
Wesonga noted that the county has two malaria regions, with Matungu, Butere, and Ikolomani
sub-counties reporting high malaria prevalence.
Sub-counties with low malaria infections include the Lugari and Likuyani constituencies.
“The CHPs have been instrumental in malaria case management and distribution of treated
mosquito nets to pregnant mothers and children under five. They have played a critical role in
reducing hospital admissions and the treatment of malaria," said Wesonga.
The CEC assured that they received enough vaccines from the national government through the
Ministry of Health.
"We had borrowed some vaccines from Busia County, but we have since returned them after the
Ministry of Health supplied us with enough vaccines for malaria, BCG for tuberculosis, rotavirus
for diarrhoea, whooping cough, tetanus, measles, HPV for cervical cancer, OPV and IPV for
poliomyelitis, and yellow fever," he said.
Wesonga added that they have implemented measures to ensure mothers don't miss out on doses,
especially for children who are supposed to receive four doses and have put structures in place to
trace such cases.
