Nairobi — The Ministry of Health is set to run its second Oral Polio Vaccine campaign for 2023 from Saturday in joint efforts with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).

The Supplemental Immunization Activity (SIA) will run from October 7th to 11th.

Principle Secretary for Health Mary Muthoni, while presiding over an nOPV2 stakeholder meeting on Thursday, said the campaign targets 3.1 million children in 10 high-risk counties.

The 10 high-risk counties include Machakos, Kajiado, Garissa, Mandera, Tana River, Lamu, Nairobi, Kiambu, Kitui and Wajir.

"Polio is a threat to everyone. In this campaign, we are targeting children under 5 years. Let's ensure children are up to date with routine immunization and that they receive all the doses required," she said.

"Let's ensure all our children are vaccinated during this 2nd targeted campaign. This is a collective responsibility; the government cannot win alone."

Surpassed target

Head of Disease Surveillance and Response Unit, Emmanuel Okungu, said though the first campaign held in August exceeded its goal, MoH was keen to reach more children in the second campaign.

"We targeted 1.8 million children in the first campaign, but we surpassed our target and reached 1.9 million. There are still more children we have missed, and we must reach them in this nOPV2 campaign," Okungu said.

"We urge all stakeholders to consistently raise awareness, ensuring that the adoption of routine immunization remains at its highest."

The government launched a National Polio Vaccination Drive on August 22 targeting 7.4 million children in the country to prevent resurgence in the country.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Kenya and World Health Organization (WHO) were among health partners who supported the initiative.

It marked the first phase that saw 2.5 million doses administered in Nairobi, Kiambu, Garissa, and Kajiado Counties from August 24th to 28th.