Filling the vaccine gap in Kenya
Nancy was 32 years old when she gave birth to her first child and, being a first-time mother, she was happy and scared at the same time because of the new responsibilities that motherhood had presented to her. Nancy religiously attended her antenatal clinics where a nurse advised her on what was needed to keep her baby safe and healthy, with an emphasis on vaccinations. “During my antenatal clinics, the nurse emphasised the benefits of my baby getting vaccinated,” she says. “After the baby came, I made all the postnatal visits to have my baby vaccinated. The nurse would tick my maternal health booklet to show that my child had been immunised against certain diseases.” Additional challenges to regular immunisation of children in Kenya include, according to Kipkemei, vaccine unavailability, low income, vaccine hesitancy, unavailability of healthcare workers, missed appointments and poor road infrastructure. Her son is now nine years old and she has gone through the same inoculation pro
