By Antynet Ford
It’s a sigh of relief for parents with babies as Kenya has confirmed receipt of 9.3 million doses of vaccines
The 9.3 million contingent consists of 2.3 million doses for the BCG vaccine and 7 million for the measles-rubella vaccine.
The Ministry of Health announced that they received the vaccines yesterday and they’ll be distributed across the country to enhance protection against tuberculosis, measles, and rubella.
Speaking to the press, health director-general Patrick Amoth stated that the vaccines will last for the next six months as he guaranteed uninterrupted supply.
The DG assured that the ministry has a robust vaccine distribution system to promptly address any isolated challenges and maintain the efficiency of immunization programs.
“We have maintained a buffer stock of vaccines sufficient for six months to guarantee an uninterrupted supply,” Amoth stated.
Nine regional depots across the country, including Nairobi, have already received the BCG vaccines from the central vaccine store in Kitengela.
The capital city will receive 450,000 doses, followed by Kisumu with 300,000 doses.
Kakamega will get 276,000 doses, Nakuru 264,000 doses, Mombasa 120,000 doses, Meru 90,000 doses, Nyeri 90,000 doses, Garissa 120,000 doses, and Eldoret 290,000 doses.
The central vaccine store is holding the remaining 234,000 doses as buffer stock.
The ministry added that by next week the country will receive an additional 486,000 doses of the rotavirus vaccine, 2.3 million doses of the tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccine, and 1.2 million doses of the pentavalent vaccine.
Additionally, 960,000 doses of the oral polio vaccine are expected by February 3, 2025.
This comes as the BCG vaccine had been out of stock for over a month, with some counties having faced limited supply while others had a complete stockout.