The Ministry of Health has announced the expansion of a special program for the administration of the Malaria Vaccine (RTS,S) this Tuesday, 7th March, where children across the country will benefit from it.
The program which was launched in 2019, has seen about 400,000 children from 26 communities in the counties surrounding Lake Victoria which has the highest rates of Malaria receive the vaccination.
The Ministry of Health announced yesterday that the initiative will be extended to 25 additional areas in the counties of Homabay, Siaya, Migori, Kisumu, Busia, Vihiga, Kakamega, and Bungoma.
Since the start of the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Program (MVIP) study administered by the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1.2 million children from Kenya, Ghana, and Malawi have received theRTS,S vaccine.
The expansion of the program was suggested by WHO at the beginning of 2022 as one of the plans to safeguard local children from a potential malaria outbreak.
“Children who received vaccinations experienced a sharp decline in illness and mortality rates. According to statistics, one child’s life was spared for every 200 children who had a vaccination,” said Mr. Mulwa, who was speaking in place of health CS Susan Nakhumicha.
Study shows that the RTS,S vaccine is nearly as efficient as chemotherapy at preventing approximately 75% of malaria cases when administered during the rainy season.
