The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday, October 6, declared that the world's first malaria vaccine was ready.
Kenya was announced as one of the three African countries recommended to use the revolutionary vaccine.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the vaccine as a gift to the world.
"Malaria has been with us for millennials, and the dream of a malaria vaccine has been a long-held but unattainable dream.
Today, the RTS,S malaria vaccine – more than 30 years in the making – changes the course of public health history," he stated.
He added that the value of the vaccine will be felt most in Africa, where malaria is most prevalent.
In September 2019, WHO lauded the Government of Kenya for launching a pilot for the vaccine in Homa-Bay County, that would be used on patients above the 6 months of age.
Kenya joined Ghana and Malawi to introduce the vaccine as a tool against a disease that affected many infants in the African continent.
WHO-coordinated pilot programme is a collaboration with the ministries of health in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi and a range of in-country and international partners.
According to who, malaria is the leading cause of child mortality rate, claiming.
“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,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
She stated that the pilot programme would provide the key information and data to inform a WHO policy on the broader use of the vaccine.
