The Garissa County government in Kenya in conjunction with Save The Children organization has launched a joint mass vaccination of animals in Balambala sub-county.
The campaign will see over 150,000 cows, goats, sheep, camels and donkeys inoculated. According to the Agriculture and Livestock CEC Mohamed Shale, the exercise has been necessitated by a recent multiple disease outbreak in the sub-county.
The vaccination exercise, would help stop spread of diseases which occur as herders move their animals from one market to another and also while looking for pasture and water. Shale said the county government will provide technical staff, vehicles and vaccines whereas Save The Children will supply fuel and pay allowances for the staff carrying out the exercise.
Community disease surveillance efforts
The NGO also donated 15 portable cold chain storage cooler boxes for safe storage of vaccines during field livestock vaccination. Meanwhile, Save The Children has donated 15 Oppo A54 smartphones to the department of livestock to support community disease surveillance efforts.
Shale said the donation would go a long way in helping the department build its capacity in intervening in areas which previously posed a challenge to conduct proper disease surveillance and control.
Elsewhere, the county department of water has also benefited from the donation of one delagua kit and its consumables which it will use for testing water quality in various boreholes across the county.
Water Chief Officer Ahmed Abdi Noor thanked Save The Children for their generous gesture noting that teams will be immediately dispatched to the field with the kit to commence work. They will be testing water quality at boreholes recently rehabilitated and solarized by Save The Children in Kone, Dololo Mindi, Bothai, Ali Emij, Nanighi and the one recently rehabilitated at Jambele.
