KENYA VACCINATION HERDERS- USAGM
Metadata
- KENYA VACCINATION HERDERS- USAGM
- January 31, 2022
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script English KENYA VACCINATION HERDERS HEADLINE: Kenya Government Fighting Vaccine Hesitancy TEASER: Animal vaccine shortage hampering campaign PUBLISHED AT: 1/31/22 at 3:45pm BYLINE: Brenda Mulinya DATELINE: Nairobi, Kenya VIDEOGRAPHER: Amos Wangwa PRODUCER: Amos Wangwa SCRIPT EDITORS: MAS, DJ VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO X TRT: 2:40 VID APPROVED BY: MAS TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO)) [[While Kenya has seen the percentage of people fully vaccinated against the coronavirus gradually increase to 19%, some people - like nomadic herders - have been harder to reach. So Kenyan authorities offered an incentive - herders who get the jab can also get routine vaccinations and medicines for their livestock. For VOA, Brenda Mulinya reports from Isiolo, Kenya.]] ((NARRATION)) Achom Ekeno is a herder in Isiolo, Kenya. Like thousands in this community, he does not believe COVID-19 is a threat or that he needs to get vaccinated. ((Achom Ekeno, Herder (speaking in Swahili 40 seconds)) “We don’t know about this disease or it’s medicine. All we know is that it attacks people who appear fat and healthy, it is a disease for the rich, but for us. We don’t believe in it, and we won’t take the vaccines.” ((NARRATION)) Health officials say Isiolo’s vaccination rate was just 7 percent at the beginning of 2022, and that many other communities also have low rates. Local leaders and the Ministry of Health attribute reluctance to get the vaccine to misinformation, religious and cultural factors and illiteracy. ((FOR RADIO: Ahmed Sett is a religious leader in Isiolo)) ((Ahmen Sett, Community Leader (speaking in English, 20 secs)) “People were informed that if you take the vaccine you will die after two years, and that the vaccine is there to reduce the population of the black people; the vaccine is there so that people don’t live long. Some of those things make people to be scared of taking the vaccine.” ((NARRATION)) Kenya aims to vaccinate 60 percent of its 55 million people by the end of 2022. Authorities say about 11 million people had been vaccinated by the end of 2021. While the country is making progress, the head of Kenya’s COVID-19 task force says vaccines are going to waste because too many people are still reluctant to get the jab. ((Dr. Willis Akhwale, COVID-19 Task Force in Kenya (speaking in English)) “The main cause of wastage is lack of people showing up to take the vaccine, so the only solution to reduce wastage is strong social mobilization.” In the counties of Isiolo, Marsabit and Moyale, officials offered people in pastoral communities both the COVID-19 vaccination and medicines and vaccines for their livestock. ((Geoffrey Omoding, Isiolo COVID-19 Response Team (speaking in English, 20 secs)) “It is working very well, and you know they are insisting on their livestock. We are telling them why you value your livestock more than your own life? Let the livestock get their treatment, then you also do it, we follow them where they are, our people here are pastoralists, so they move with their livestock.” ((NARRATION)) But the program is currently on pause due a shortage of animal vaccines and medicines. The Isiolo County veterinary department says it will resume the program when their inventory is restocked. ((BRENDA MULINYA FOR VOA NEWS, NAIROBI, KENYA))
- Transcript/Script KENYA VACCINATION HERDERS HEADLINE: Kenya Government Fighting Vaccine Hesitancy TEASER: Animal vaccine shortage hampering campaign PUBLISHED AT: 1/31/22 at 3:45pm BYLINE: Brenda Mulinya DATELINE: Nairobi, Kenya VIDEOGRAPHER: Amos Wangwa PRODUCER: Amos Wangwa SCRIPT EDITORS: MAS, DJ VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO X TRT: 2:40 VID APPROVED BY: MAS TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO)) [[While Kenya has seen the percentage of people fully vaccinated against the coronavirus gradually increase to 19%, some people - like nomadic herders - have been harder to reach. So Kenyan authorities offered an incentive - herders who get the jab can also get routine vaccinations and medicines for their livestock. For VOA, Brenda Mulinya reports from Isiolo, Kenya.]] ((NARRATION)) Achom Ekeno is a herder in Isiolo, Kenya. Like thousands in this community, he does not believe COVID-19 is a threat or that he needs to get vaccinated. ((Achom Ekeno, Herder (speaking in Swahili 40 seconds)) “We don’t know about this disease or it’s medicine. All we know is that it attacks people who appear fat and healthy, it is a disease for the rich, but for us. We don’t believe in it, and we won’t take the vaccines.” ((NARRATION)) Health officials say Isiolo’s vaccination rate was just 7 percent at the beginning of 2022, and that many other communities also have low rates. Local leaders and the Ministry of Health attribute reluctance to get the vaccine to misinformation, religious and cultural factors and illiteracy. ((FOR RADIO: Ahmed Sett is a religious leader in Isiolo)) ((Ahmen Sett, Community Leader (speaking in English, 20 secs)) “People were informed that if you take the vaccine you will die after two years, and that the vaccine is there to reduce the population of the black people; the vaccine is there so that people don’t live long. Some of those things make people to be scared of taking the vaccine.” ((NARRATION)) Kenya aims to vaccinate 60 percent of its 55 million people by the end of 2022. Authorities say about 11 million people had been vaccinated by the end of 2021. While the country is making progress, the head of Kenya’s COVID-19 task force says vaccines are going to waste because too many people are still reluctant to get the jab. ((Dr. Willis Akhwale, COVID-19 Task Force in Kenya (speaking in English)) “The main cause of wastage is lack of people showing up to take the vaccine, so the only solution to reduce wastage is strong social mobilization.” In the counties of Isiolo, Marsabit and Moyale, officials offered people in pastoral communities both the COVID-19 vaccination and medicines and vaccines for their livestock. ((Geoffrey Omoding, Isiolo COVID-19 Response Team (speaking in English, 20 secs)) “It is working very well, and you know they are insisting on their livestock. We are telling them why you value your livestock more than your own life? Let the livestock get their treatment, then you also do it, we follow them where they are, our people here are pastoralists, so they move with their livestock.” ((NARRATION)) But the program is currently on pause due a shortage of animal vaccines and medicines. The Isiolo County veterinary department says it will resume the program when their inventory is restocked. ((BRENDA MULINYA FOR VOA NEWS, NAIROBI, KENYA))
- NewsML Media Topics Health
- Topic Tags Kenya Vaccination
- Network VOA
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English