Parents appear to have ignored the skeptics and allowed their children to receive the protective polio vaccine as part of the ongoing immunization drive.

The Ministry of Health yesterday reported high turnout in the nine high-risk counties of Busia, Bungoma, Trans Nzoia, West Pokot, Turkana, Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos and Kajiado.

The exercise will end today.

All children under the age of five are vaccinated against polio, a highly contagious disease that can cause paralysis and even death within hours in young children.children who are not fully vaccinated.

Although there is no cure for polio, the disease can be prevented by receiving oral polio vaccine (OPV) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV).

The vaccination comes after the virus was isolated this year from sewage in parts of Kenya, meaning it continues to spread among some under-vaccinated children, particularly along the borders.

The current campaign started on November 9 and will end on November 13.

“If you are in Busia, Bungoma, Trans Nzoia, West Pokot, Turkana, Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos or Kajiado, our dedicated vaccinators are going door to door to ensure every child receives this life-saving vaccine. Protect your child’s future – open the door to protection today,” the ministry said in a statement.

He also clarified that the deaths of two children after the polio vaccination campaign, carried out in the country from October 2 to 6, was not linked to the vaccine.

During the October vaccination campaign, some parents and guardians expressed concerns about the safety of the vaccines, saying their children had experienced adverse reactions after vaccination.

There were fears that this would lead to parents not allowing their children to be vaccinated under the ongoing campaign.

This prompted the Kenya National Vaccine Safety Advisory Committee (KNVSAC) to launch investigations into the reports.

The committee, in a report released Friday, said 23 reported cases were investigated, of which 16 were not serious, ranging from generalized rashes with itching, fever, conjunctivitis, rashes, pain abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Seven of the reported cases were severe and presented with widespread red and sometimes itchy skin bumps, fever, lower extremity weakness, seizures, diarrhea and vomiting, and shingles.

The committee in its report said that two of the reported cases unfortunately resulted in death.

The ministry claimed that vaccines administered in the country are safe and that 18 of the cases studied were coincidental due to underlying or emerging health conditions unrelated to the vaccine.