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By Mercy Kachenge
Nairobi, Kenya: The government is putting together a plan to avert a possible diarrhoea outbreak in the country following a reported global shortage of the Rotavac Frozen vaccine.
It emerged yesterday that a global shortage of the vital vaccine, that protects children against diarrhoea caused by Rotavirus – is expected to impact supply from the second quarter of 2025 into 2026.
However, Health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale stated that his Ministry is closely monitoring the emerging situation.
“The Ministry is preparing technical guidance to help healthcare workers manage this situation while continuing to offer the best care possible,” Duale said at Afya House yesterday morning when he received over 6 million immunization doses of both BCG and Oral Polio vaccines.
At the same time, the CS released the doses to the counties. The UNICEF procured consignment included over 3 million doses of the BCG vaccine and 3.2 million for the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV). BCG helps to prevent infants from TB infection among infants and young children while OPV is crucial for creating local intestinal immunity against poliovirus, preventing infection and shedding.
“This is a major boost to our national immunization efforts,” he said, also delivering a National Treasury commitment that the country will have a timely budget for procurement of vaccines.
Duale lauded the Treasury for the swift move to support the procurement of the vaccines. This through the allocation of resources to facilitate the delivery which is a testament to their unwavering commitment in safeguarding the health of the children.
“The National Treasury together with the ministry of health have agreed in principle that certain budget lines, including vaccines and immunization programs will never be subjected to budget harmonization, rationalization and supplementaries,’’said the CS.
The CS emphasized that this commitment backed by the ministry and National Treasury will be aimed at eliminating delays in allocation of resources for vaccines.
“We must always keep Kenyan child Safe by giving him the right vaccine, at the right time in whatever location that child is within our 47 counties.’’
With today’s vaccine consignment now in the country, I am calling upon all county governments, through the Council of Governors (CoG) and their County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) for Health, to prioritize the collection of these vaccines from regional depots and ensure timely distribution to health facilities especially those in remote and underserved areas to prepare a technical guidance to help healthcare workers manage this situation.
“We are currently monitoring an emerging issue on global shortage of the Rotavac Frozen vaccine, a vital vaccine which protects against diarrhea caused by the Rotavirus, which is expected to impact supply from the second quarter” he said.
The Ministry has already activated a logistics network to ensure the delivery of vaccines to eight regional vaccines stores by the end of the week.
He appealed to parents and guardians by urging them to take their children to the nearest facility for any missed or upcoming vaccination.
“These vaccines are now available, to ensure every child is protected against deadly but preventable diseases”, he stated.
CS urged the public to be vigilant and be the first line of public health reporting.‘’ If you notice any vaccine stock-outs, service delays, or challenges at your local facility, please report them immediately to your health authorities. Your voice helps us act faster and serve you better.’’
Last week the Ministry revealed a joint project aimed at strengthening the country’s pharmaceutical supply chain that will reduce reliance on imports and improve national health security.
The Ministry of Health revealed that the joint project, valued at Sh65 billion (USD 500 million), aims to strengthen the country’s pharmaceutical supply chains, reduce reliance on imports, and improve national health security.
