- Speaking to the Star, Dr Ben Omollo said that since children bear the biggest brand of severe malaria, they should get the vaccine.
- In February, Kenya launched the malaria vaccine expansion outreach to cover an additional 25 subcounties.
Image: FILE
Parents have been urged to take their children for an RTS, S malaria vaccine to protect them from the disease, even as the world marked World Malaria Day
The four-dose vaccine is given to children aged 6, 7, 9, and 24 months in Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, Migori, Busia, Kakamega, Bungoma, and Vihiga.
The areas are moderate to high malaria transmission and children are at high risk of dying of malaria.
Speaking to the Star, Dr Ben Omollo a general physician at The Nairobi West Hospital said that since children bear the biggest brand of severe malaria, they should get the vaccine that has been endorsed by WHO.
"RTS, S malaria vaccine is the first vaccine recommended to prevent malaria in children and if implemented broadly the vaccine could save tens of thousands of lives each year in the country," Dr Omollo said.
In February, Kenya launched the malaria vaccine expansion outreach to cover an additional 25 subcounties, following a successful pilot that brought a substantial reduction in severe malaria attacks, deaths, and child hospital admissions.
The three-year-old pilot implemented in September 2019, made the vaccine available to children in eight counties in the Western and Nyanza region targeting 1.2 million children.
RTS, S was introduced in Kenya in 2019 in 26 subcounties in Homa Bay, Kisumu, Migori, Siaya, Busia, Bungoma, Vihiga and Kakamega counties.
Dr Omollo described Malaria as a serious disease that is caused by the Plasmodium parasite and transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito.
"There are different types of Plasmodium depending on the cells they affect. There’s what we call P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. vivax, and P. ovale. So, these parasites are what carry malaria and are normally transmitted by female Anopheles mosquito," he said.
Omollo said only Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit malaria.
"After being bitten by an Anopheles mosquito, it takes close to seven to 14 days for malaria symptoms and signs to manifest, because of the life cycle," he said.
"Once a mosquito bites you and injects the parasite, they multiply. They first go to the liver and multiply then go to different blood cells and multiply by the time you start having the symptoms, you normally have up to 2 million parasites in your body."
Omollo said Malaria symptoms are divided into two- mild symptoms and severe symptoms.
He said mild symptoms include fever, general light body weakness, fatigue, feeling nauseated, vomiting, muscle pain, and generalized features of acute fibrates illness.
"In severe malaria, you have the symptoms but in addition to that there are more serious symptoms like we have patients presenting with seizures and when you do a malaria test you find they have several parasites that are possibly cerebral malaria and sometimes they even go into a comma," Omollo said.
"Patients also have low blood sugar levels what is known as hypoglycaemia, which is a feature of severe malaria."
He said Malaria can also cause anaemia because the parasite infects blood vessels as they get to the red blood cells and causes them to enrapture which is known as hemolysis.
"Sometimes the parasite can infiltrate into the blood vessels into the kidney. We’ve had patients with kidney failure because of severe malaria and these patients may even require dialysis," the doctor said.
Kenyans have been urged to take preventive measures which include sleeping under a treated mosquito net especially for pregnant women and children in malaria-endemic zones to avoid getting the disease, using mosquito repellents and wearing protective clothing.
It is also advisable to trim grass and drain any water bodies around your homestead to prevent mosquitoes from multiplying especially during this rainy season.
According to the latest World Malaria report, there were 247 million cases of malaria in 2021 compared to 245 million cases in 2020.
The estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 619 000 in 2021 compared to 625 000 in 2020.
Malaria vaccine coverage through childhood immunization programs signals strong community demand for vaccines.
Two years on from the launch of a pilot program, more than 1.7 million doses of the world's first malaria vaccine have been administered in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi, benefitting more than 650 000 children with additional malaria protection.