KENYA—The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), in collaboration with the Gates Medical Research Institute, is currently developing a groundbreaking vaccine that has the potential to prevent active tuberculosis in adults and adolescents.

If adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO), this vaccine would be the first of its kind to be produced in Kenya.

At present, the vaccine is in Phase III clinical trial stage, having undergone successful Phase II trials involving over 3,500 adolescents and adults with latent TB in Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia.

This research, which took place between August 2014 and November 2018, involved the participation of multiple African countries and research institutions.

According to the research findings, at least 54 percent of those who received the vaccine were protected from active TB for three years, surpassing the threshold set by the WHO.

This is a significant breakthrough in the fight against TB, which is responsible for six percent of deaths in Kenya alone.

Notably, the researchers are also actively working on a BCG recombinant Phase III vaccine trial for infants.

To this end, the Serum Institute of India has recruited some 1,500 participants for the upcoming vaccine candidate trial, which is set to take place in Nairobi and Siaya.

With the likelihood of being adopted by the WHO, these vaccines are set to be instrumental in achieving universal healthcare.

Dr. Videlis Nduba, a research scientist at KEMRI, is optimistic about the prospects and has expressed confidence in the strides made thus far.

The study aimed to prevent infection and subsequent cases of tuberculosis (TB) through the administration of an improved BCG recombinant vaccine to infants, as compared to the traditional BCG vaccine.

Notably, BCG is the only licensed TB vaccine, but while it provides moderate efficacy in preventing severe forms of TB in infants and children, it does not adequately protect adolescents and adults, who account for close to 90 percent of TB transmissions worldwide.

Unfortunately, Kenya has not been immune to the TB epidemic, with about 120,000 people developing the disease every year.

Even more concerning, approximately 48,000 of these individuals are infected with HIV, and 18,600 individuals die from the disease, despite it being both curable and preventable.

Most patients only seek medical attention after developing acute TB, making early diagnosis and prevention all the more critical.

As such, researchers at KEMRI are also investigating the best method for diagnosing TB in children. Their objective is to use a diagnostic system that confirms the presence of TB in blood and urine, streamlining the diagnosis and treatment process.

Dr. Jane Ogango, a researcher at KEMRI, emphasized the need to find short treatment regimens to make the patient as comfortable as possible.

To this end, KEMRI is continually working on improving diagnosis, with most hospitals using Genexpert for diagnosis.

The goal is to provide faster and more efficient diagnosis and treatment for TB, thus reducing the number of annual cases and deaths in Kenya.

Speaking on the topic of tuberculosis (TB) case-finding and lab diagnosis, Health PS Josephine Mburu emphasized the importance of these measures in providing quality patient care and disease surveillance.

She further noted the efficacy of molecular testing, which offers immediate and highly sensitive results, and called for the screening of everyone presenting with cough symptoms to ensure early detection and treatment of TB.

In a bid to boost universal healthcare, the government announced plans to hire a significant number of community health workers.

During the World TB Day events in Eldoret, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi revealed that at least 90,000 community health workers would be hired and given stipends to ensure they could provide the first line of response.

While the specific amount to be given to each health worker was not disclosed, this initiative is expected to improve access to healthcare and reduce the burden of TB in Kenya.

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