Written By Vanessa Kariuki ||
Kenya marked a significant milestone in the fight against malaria as the Ministry of Health launched the expansion of malaria vaccination in 25 sub-counties.
Dr. Patrick Amoth, interim director general of health, presided over the event in VihigaCounty on behalf of Dr. Susan Nakhumicha, cabinet secretary for health.
One of the top ten illnesses and fatalities in Kenya is malaria, which is also the leading cause of mortality in children under the age of five. Malaria caused the death of 12,000 persons in the nation in 2021 alone.
The MOH has increased its efforts to combat malaria over time in partnership with county governments and other partners. Some of these initiatives include the expansion of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, indoor residual spraying, and appropriate diagnosis and treatment.
In 26 sub-counties of counties with malaria outbreak, the Ministry of Health began administering the malaria vaccine as a supplementary intervention in September 2019. Around 400,000 kids have received vaccinations thus far.
In these regions, there has been a significant decline in child hospitalizations, child fatalities, and deadly severe malaria.
The Ministry of Health is currently extending malaria vaccine to an additional 25 sub-counties in the lake endemic zone, aiming to reach an extra 133,000 new-borns annually, as per a WHO recommendation.
The vaccine, which is risk-free and considerably lowers severe, life-threatening malaria, will be provided without charge in all immunizing health facilities located inside the 51 sub-counties.
At 6 months, 7 months, 9 months, and 24 months, the vaccination is administered in four doses. To ensure that their children receive the full course of the recommended four doses of the malaria vaccine, the MOH is pushing all parents in the lake-endemic zones to bring their kids to the clinic.
Through its vision for primary health care and approach to universal health coverage, MOH is dedicated to ensuring equitable, affordable, accessible, and high-quality healthcare for all Kenyans.
