The ongoing health workers’ strike is threatening to paralyse an anti-malaria vaccine programme for children.
The strike has also put plans to administer a cervical cancer vaccine to girls aged 10 in jeopardy.
The cervical cancer vaccine project is scheduled to begin next month.
County officials in charge of the project now fear that the two vaccines might not reach the targeted population as operations in the county’s 132 health facilities have been paralysed by the strike, leaving only 78 private and faith-based facilities available for the project.
Liliana Dayo, the officer in charge of the malaria vaccine project, confirmed that they had already dispatched vaccines to 210 facilities.
“Due to the ongoing strike, the vaccines are still being packed in public health facilities, only private and faith-based facilities are administering them,” said Ms Dayo.
County director of health Dickens Onyango said the county would resort to alternative channels to administer the cervical cancer vaccine if the strike extends to October.
He announced plans to have the vaccine administered through schools to ensure it reaches as many girls as possible.
