At least 400,000 children in 26 subcounties have received at least one dose of the malaria vaccine since its official rollout in 2019, MoH has said.
RTSS was introduced in Kenya in 2019 in 26 subcounties in Homa Bay, Kisumu, Migori, Siaya, Busia, Bungoma, Vihiga and Kakamega counties.
Since then, Kenya has administered more than one million doses of the four-dose malaria vaccine to children across eight counties.
Children under five years qualify for the vaccine and will get four doses from six months of age to the last dose at 24 months.
“Over the past three years, we’ve seen a dramatic reduction in the number of malaria cases and hospitalisations from malaria in areas where the vaccine has been administered,” Health CS Susan Wafula said.
“We are excited to offer this additional malaria tool to more of our children,” she added.
To reach more children with the vaccine, the Ministry of Health is scaling up malaria vaccination in an additional 25 subcounties within the eight lake-endemic counties.
Since the malaria vaccine was introduced in Kenya in 2019, the areas where it is available have witnessed a substantial drop in children being hospitalised and reductions in child deaths.
A child gets four malaria vaccine doses. In Kenya, the first dose is given at six months of age, and the fourth dose at two years of age.
The vaccine has been well accepted in communities, with demand remaining high even when additional visits to clinics by caregivers and children are required.
Health experts have however noted that despite the efforts in recent years, progress against malaria has stalled, hence the need for the vaccine.
