UNICEF Immunization Campaign Begins in Kenya

As famine and massive drought hit in the Horn of Africa, an increase in disease threatens the already fragile population. In Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Djibouti, more than 11 million people have been fighting for survival. UNICEF is stepping in to help, but faces great challenges in the region.

A cycle of malnutrition and disease has spiraled dangerously in the Horn of Africa, explained Melissa Corkum, Communication Specialist for UNICEF. “We need to immunize all children, new arrivals, existing even in the host communities because these children are coming from areas where we haven’t been able to immunize for a significant period of time,” she said. “Because they are malnourished, they’ve travelled a long distance to come here,” and face dehydration and hunger, Corkum concluded, “we really need to immunize quickly to put an end to any possible disease outbreaks in the camps and in the host communities.”

To that effect, UNICEF has launched a huge immunization campaign aimed at preventing disease outbreaks. The campaign began a at the world’s largest refugee camp, the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.

The UNICEF campaign is targeting more than 200,000 children under five, providing immunizations from measles and polio as well as Vitamin A supplements and deworming treatments. Younger children are most at risk of malnutrition and disease, but the treatments are also given to older children.

Overcrowded conditions, poor sanitation, and malnutrition can combine to rapidly spread fatal diseases. Medical awareness and preventative care is vital in the camps. But cultural differences sometimes prove tricky barriers to disease prevention, as UNICEF workers are well aware.

“The new arrivals they have very little knowledge of medical issues, so they are not ready to take these vaccinations, and they have so many fears so we have to allay those fears fast before they accept the vaccinations,” said Antonia Kamora, Community Health Officer with the International Rescue Committee.

With the facts about disease made clear, children are finally receiving medical care in Dadaab. “I didn’t know anything about vaccination, I have never heard about this in Somalia. But today these people have told me the importance of immunizing my children, that’s why I have accepted,” said Kadijo Hussein, a Somali refugee.

The situation in the Horn of Africa has become the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. The huge number of refugees on the move is proving to be a challenge for UNICEF, on both a medical and social level. In order to treat all children in the region and prevent an outbreak, the organization estimates it will need $300 million to scale up its operations over the next six months.