COUNTY TEAMS UP WITH MEDIA TO CREATE DEMAND FOR IMMUNIZATION AS COUNTY MARKS IMMUNIZATION WEEK
Achieving and sustaining high vaccination coverage across all populations is a priority of immunization programmes in the county.
The County Government of Nandi has strengthened collaboration with media teams to mobilize the support of religious and traditional leaders as well as other opinion moulders with the capacity to influence social decisions, in order to fight intractable non-compliance to immunization in very high risk local areas within the county. 
To achieve the aforestated, the County EPI Coordinator Susan Biwott who remained upbeat about the partnership with the media and Nandi based media reporters disclosed that influential women, traditional, religious and youth leaders from the identified settlements have been sensitized, on the importance of childhood immunizations since according to her ‘the forums provided the needed avenues for minority opinions to be heard and concerns raised directed to programme managers for the provision of accurate information on the benefits of immunization and vaccines as well as for other routine antigens’.
“Children everywhere deserve to live healthy lives, and routine immunizations are a proven intervention that protects them from diseases that can have a negative impact on their futures,” said Susan. 
According to Jane Samoei, the County Health Promotion Officer “We need a stronger understanding of the barriers and opportunities that exist in far-to-reach areas and low-coverage settings and this learning partnership will generate data that shares how we can improve equitable access to immunization coverage.”
They were speaking during an introductory select-media sensitization meeting aimed at equipping media professionals with the tools to counter vaccine hesitancy and encourage vaccine uptake. The sensitization program targets all media reporters based in the county. 
The continued media engagements will focus on reaching zero-dose children aged between 0 – 5 years, ensuring that every child receives life-saving vaccines. The media engagement is also intended to be the big leap for achieving Measles & Rubella elimination in the county by ensuring that every child under 5 years of age has completed the two-dose schedule of Measles and Rubella Containing Vaccine (MRCV).
Present at the event were senior health officials and facilitators from JHPIEGO.