Use the pull-down menus to find more stories
  


OR subscribers use AllAfrica's premium search engine


Click here to read or make comments on this topic »

Kenya: Two Million Women Targeted in Tetanus War


The Nation (Nairobi)
 

Email This Page

Print This Page

Comment on this article

The Nation (Nairobi)

8 October 2008
Posted to the web 9 October 2008

Nation Correspondent
Nairobi

An anti-tetanus campaign targeting 1.9 million women for vaccination against the killer disease will be launched on Saturday.

There are 38 high-risk districts in Coast, Eastern, North Eastern, Nyanza, Western and Rift Valley.

Women aged between 15 and 49 years are expected to get the jabs during the Sh45 million campaign.

Dr Tatu Kamau, the Public Health ministry's division of vaccines and immunisation boss, yesterday said the campaign, would be carried out between October 11 and 15.

Cut or wound

Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, affects the nervous system.

A victim usually contracts the disease through a cut or wound that becomes contaminated with tetanus germs.

According to medics, one can get infected through a tiny pinprick or scratch, but mainly through deep wounds or cuts like those made by nails and knives. Tetanus is fatal in three out of 10 cases.

Signs and symptoms of the disease usually begin a week after infection, but may extend to three weeks.

Relevant Links

Some of the signs are headache, stiffness of the jaw (lockjaw), stiffness of the neck and sweating.


Read comments. Write your own.


AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.


 
Share this on:
Facebook
Digg
Del.icio.us
StumbleUpon
Muti



Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed
Sign up for FREE daily 'top headlines' by email >>

Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | My Account

Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement.


Relevant Links




East Africa


at a Glance





Today's Most Active Stories