Malaria vaccine saving lives of children in endemic zones
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha (right) is taken through the delivery of malaria vaccines using a drone by Mercy Mutua at the Zipline company in Chemelil, Kisumu County on 25 April 2024.
When Doreen Akinyi gave birth to her second child in April 2023, she was elated and looking forward to raising a healthy baby girl.
The middle-aged woman hails from Kisumu County, one of the malaria-endemic areas.
As a result, she was quick to inquire about the availability of malaria vaccines at the hospital.
Ms Akinyi says the decision to have her daughter immunised with the life-saving malaria vaccine came after countless visits to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu in search of malaria medication for her first-born son.
This, she says, despite making sure the now nine-year-old boy slept under a treated bed net every night.
"I realised that he would be bitten by mosquitoes while watching his favourite programmes at night. There was very little I could do. She says malaria infections continue to be a major problem in her home, with her son visiting a health facility at least three times a year for medication.
Whenever he is diagnosed with malaria, Ms Akinyi is forced to take time off work to take care of him.
"Apart from my son, my husband and I have also been battling malaria cases from time to time and we spend a lot of money when it comes to seeking medication," says Akinyi.
She says frequent malaria attacks are one of the main reasons she decided to make sure her second born was vaccinated. The first dose was administered to the newborn at six months, with subsequent doses at twelve, nine and 24 months.
608,000 malaria deaths
"My baby had a fever and the injected arm was also swollen, but within a few days she was fine," said Ms Akinyi.
Malaria, a parasitic disease spread by the female Anopheles mosquito, is a life-threatening disease common in tropical countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates show that 249 million cases of malaria were diagnosed in 2022.
Zipline staff in Chemelil, Kisumu County, demonstrate how malaria vaccines are packaged before delivery to health facilities around Kisumu on April 25, 2024.
In the same year, 608,000 malaria deaths were reported in 85 countries, with children under the age of five accounting for 75 per cent of the deaths, despite the disease being preventable and curable.
In Kenya, the latest malaria indicator survey shows that more than 12,000 Kenyans still die from malaria every year.
According to the survey, seven out of ten Kenyans are at risk of malaria infection. This translates to 13 million people in malaria-endemic regions.
In 2021, the WHO recommended the first malaria vaccine, RTS, S/AS01, to prevent malaria in children living in endemic areas.
"My daughter has now received all her four doses and I am happy that my daughter, who is now one year and two months old, has never been diagnosed with malaria since birth," says Ms Akinyi.
She adds, "I have heard a lot of misconceptions about the side effects of the vaccine, but my experience is different. My daughter is fully immunised and I urge mothers and guardians to take their children for their doses," she added.
Dr Elizabeth Kuta, a paediatrician at the Aga Khan Hospital in Kisumu, says it is important to administer the vaccine on time as prescribed to prevent deaths among the under-five population, who are vulnerable to infection.
She says the vaccine can have side effects on the child, including fever, pain and swelling in the injected arm.
"It is recommended to give the vaccines to children at an earlier age as prescribed for better results because it is believed that they are naive and not yet exposed to the life-threatening disease," says Dr Akuta.
In an effort to increase vaccine coverage in the malaria-endemic county, the government has started using drones to deliver vaccines and blood products to health facilities.
The medical supplies will be stored and delivered by Zipline Kenya, a drone manufacturing and delivery system based in Chemelil, Muhoroni Sub County.
Health services
Speaking at an earlier event, Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Susan Nakhumicha said the use of technology will ensure that clients in need of health services, especially expectant mothers and children, receive them promptly even during emergencies.
The CS said malaria vaccines will now be among the medical supplies delivered by drone technology to reduce the prevalence of the disease in Kisumu, Homa Bay and Nyamira counties.
"The initiative will help slow down the spread of malaria while reducing deaths from the disease," the CS said.
10 months ago, the Centre for Behaviour Change and Communication (CBCC), in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund, launched an awareness campaign in 31 of Kenya's 47 counties to engage communities in routine immunisation.
To promote health-seeking behaviour and create demand for care, CBCC used local radio talk shows to reach local communities.
The programme aims to increase uptake of malaria, tuberculosis, human papillomavirus and other early childhood immunisations.
