Questions are rising on who slept on the job in the fresh outbreak of polio in 22 countries in Africa, Kenya included, with six cases of children under five being reported in Garissa county.
This is even as the continent was certified free of the disease in 2020.

As the government gears up to vaccinate 7.4 million children under the age of five years across 10 counties against the debilitating polio disease, yesterday health experts were pondering the link between pandemic outbreaks and climate change.

Acting Director General Health, Dr Patrick Amoth pointed out that in the current Polio outbreak, out of the 33 countries affected, 22 countries are in the World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa region.
He noted a variety of reasons including, the fragility of the health systems in this region; conflicts that are permanent in this area, but also not forgetting the effects of climate change.

“Mid to late last year, the Horn and EAC region experienced a devastating drought, and no wonder, hardly one year down the line, we are reporting this outbreak,” he stated, noting that the health sector contributes so little in terms of carbon footprint but bears the greatest burden.

“I would appeal to the researchers in this room, to go back to the drawing board to see if we can find a possible link between these outbreaks and climate change, and not forgetting the never-ending conflicts,” he urged.

The latest outbreak in Kenya, which was detected by disease surveillance teams in Garissa County, especially in the Dadaab and Hagadera refugee camps, comes in the backdrop of the recent re-opening of the border between Somalia and Kenya.

Somalia is classified by the International Health Regulations (IHR) as a state infected with circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2). Two cases were reported in May this year and five in 2022.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Kenya Immunisation and Vaccines Development Focal point person, Dr Iheoma Onuekwusi yesterday called on authorities in the Horn and East Africa region to strengthen surveillance systems in the common borders and mount routine immunisations.

Laboratory evidence

“Last polio outbreak was in early 2021 to which MOH in collaboration with its partners effectively mounted a response.
“The current outbreak was detected in late June and laboratory evidence shows an established circulation within the Dadaab refugee,” she said, even recalling that the polio-free certification was given to the AFRO region in August of 2020, “and everyone rejoiced at the time.”

Countries including Kenya were advised post-certification at the time to keep their eyes open to detect polio outbreaks and also to ensure that population immunity of children was maintained through regular routine vaccination with Oral Polio Vaccination (OPV) and Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) to prevent paralysis and death from polio.

She praised the Ministry of Health on the sensitivity of its surveillance system, keeping its eyes open, and detecting the viruses in children residing and arriving at the refugee camp – where challenges of conducting activities in security compromised areas of Garissa are real and deter health workers.

Population immunity

“Paralysis in the detected children means gaps in population immunity. We cannot allow children to be paralysed by polio in a certified polio free region,” Dr Onuekwusi stated.
She called on joint efforts by MOH and partners to reach eligible children especially in hard to reach pastoralists, nomadic, refugees and migrant mobile populations with lifesaving vaccines including OPV and IPV.

She called on County Health Management teams to identify these vulnerable children and populations, and target them especially for routine immunisation services and purpose to reach them during this campaign.

“A robust cross border collaboration with neighbouring countries of Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania will also be required to address gaps in surveillance and routine immunisation activities.

“As you may be aware, outbreaks of cholera, polio and measles have made their way across Kenya’s borders,” she noted, appealing to parents and caregivers to present their children under the age of five years as the vaccination teams go house to house.