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Successful vitamin A campaign in Kenya increases coverage
This video chronicles the Kenyan Ministry of Health and Public Sanitation's massive one-week vaccination and supplementation campaign.
Posted on March 9, 2010
Thanks to its powerful ability to boost the immune system, vitamin A is a critical micronutrient for the survival and physical health of children exposed to disease.
Supplementation in populations who are at risk of vitamin A deficiency can reduce mortality rates of children between six months and five years of age by an average of 23 per cent. In Kenya, up to 85 per cent of children are vitamin A deficient, putting them at risk of illness and death.
A recent shift in how some child survival interventions, such as measles vaccinations and vitamin A supplementation, are delivered in Kenya has led to lower coverage rates. In the summer of 2009, measles outbreaks were reported in the north of the country.
This video chronicles the Kenyan Ministry of Health and Public Sanitation’s massive one-week vaccination and supplementation campaign in late September.
The campaign targeted 1.3 million children who had not been vaccinated against measles since 2006 and was supported by the Micronutrient Initiative and other agencies.
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