Kenya has been selected alongside Ghana and Malawi to take part in the World Health Organization - led pilot programme for the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine.
The activities are scheduled to start later this year and the outcome is expected to inform in-country policy said the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Sicily Karuiki in a speech read by Dr. Patrick Amoth, Head of Directorate of Health Sector Coordination and Intergovernmental Affairs, during the pre-World Malaria Day 2018 media briefing breakfast in Nairobi.
The CS revealed that that this year, the Ministry of Health will oversee the development of a new Malaria Strategy that build on the gains made so far and also align the strategy to the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda.
The move comes in the wake of significant strides in combating malaria in the country with the overall prevalence of the disease dropping from 11 percent in 2010 to 8 percent currently.
The proportion of out-patient visits attributable to malaria has also reduced from 30 percent during the same period.