The spread of the Coronavirus pandemic is contributing to a dramatic fall in the numbers of life-saving child vaccinations in Marsabit. In turn, this could lead to a spike in deaths from illnesses that could have easily been prevented.

In March, the president declared Covid-19 a national emergency. But the repercussions of Covid-19 go far beyond the disease itself. So for instance, since the national emergency was called, childhood vaccinations have significantly dropped for all age groups particularly in Marsabit County according to the Director of Family Health in Marsabit, Bokayo Arero.

The stay-at-home orders made the parents fearful of exposing their children to covid-19, and this then played a major role in the reduction in vaccinations all across the county. Since March, community health outreach has been disrupted and data from the Department of Health show drastically reduced numbers of vaccinations. Indicators show that in January 2020, 845 immunizations were recorded, 446 in February, 923 in March and then dropped to 660 in April - overall  a sharp decrease was noted across Marsabit county.

With the low numbers of immunizations since March in Marsabit, Covid-19 is not the only thing that children and their families have to worry about. The pandemic has affected immunization services in this vast and remote county where the health system is already very weak. The Kenya Red Cross warns of a critical child vaccination disruption during the covid-19 pandemic. As a result, the Kenya Red Cross in partnership with the Marsabit county government is recruiting 300 community health volunteers to help embark on community-level awareness and routine vaccinations.

Iremo, Marsabit, Kenya, September 3, 2020