This archive report was first published on 14 September 2019.
On September 14, 2019, the Government of Kenya launched the world's first malaria vaccine in Homa Bay County, western Kenya, in a historic moment that marks a significant step in the fight against malaria.
The malaria vaccine pilot programme, a collaboration between the ministries of health in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi, and international partners, aims to introduce the vaccine in selected areas of the country, including Homa Bay, Kisumu, Migori, Siaya, Busia, Bungoma, Vihiga, and Kakamega counties.
The vaccine, known as RTS.S, will be available to children from 6 months of age in selected areas of the country in a phased pilot introduction. It is the first and only vaccine to significantly reduce malaria in children, including life-threatening malaria.
Speaking at the launch event, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said: "Africa has witnessed a recent surge in the number of malaria cases and deaths. This threatens the gains in the fight against malaria made in the past two decades. The ongoing pilots will provide the key information and data to inform a WHO policy on the broader use of the vaccine in sub-Saharan Africa. If introduced widely, the vaccine has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives."
The Ministry of Health, through the National Vaccines and Immunization Programme, is leading the phased vaccine introduction in areas of high malaria transmission, where the vaccine can have the greatest impact. The aim is to vaccinate about 120,000 children per year in Kenya across the selected introduction areas.
The WHO-coordinated pilot programme is a collaboration with a range of in-country and international partners, including PATH, a non-profit organization, and GSK, the vaccine developer and manufacturer, which is donating up to 10 million vaccine doses for this pilot.
