3.8 Million Kenyan Children Receiving Polio Vaccination

The Republic of Kenya's Ministry of Health announced in October 2024 that a nationwide polio vaccination campaign will launch following an outbreak of circulating Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Type 2 (cVDPV2).

The vaccination campaign will target over 3.8 million children across nine high-risk counties: Nairobi, Busia, Bungoma, Turkana, Trans Nzoia, West Pokot, Kiambu, Machakos, and Kajiado, said Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, in a press release on October 1, 2024.

Five cVDPV2 cases and one positive environmental have been confirmed in Kenya in 2024.

Countries affected by poliovirus circulation are subject to temporary recommendations issued by the WHO's Emergency Committee of the International Health Regulations on Poliovirus. WHO's International Travel and Health recommends that all travelers to polio-affected areas be fully vaccinated against polio.

About 2 million people visit Kenya annually.

Kenyan residents (and visitors for more than four weeks) from infected areas should receive an additional dose of oral (nOPV2) or inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) within four to twelve months of travel.

To alert international travelers of the polio risk, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reissued a Global Polio ADvisory regarding polio outbreaks and poliovirus detections in 37 countries.

The IPV is offered in the U.S. and at most clinics and travel pharmacies in 2024.

Additionally, the CDC recommends yellow fever, measles, mpox, and cholera vaccination when visiting Kenya.