A shot of hope: How the malaria vaccine is helping to change lives in Kenya

Watching six-year-old Elian Korir play football with his friends at school, one would never guess that he is part of medical history in Homabay County, known for its rolling hills and fertile lands, along the southern shores of Lake Victoria. At six months old Elian became the first child in Kenya to receive the malaria vaccine when it was introduced as an additional form of protection against the parasitic disease.

A lively child with bright eyes that reflect his playful and adventurous spirit, Elian battled a severe bout of malaria when he was just five months old.

“I thought he was going to die,” recalls his mother, Noreen Chemko, a 30-year-old elementary school teacher in Ndhiwa Town, Homabay County.

Chemko and her husband, Brian Korir, 34, rushed Elian to the hospital at 2 a.m. when he developed a dangerously high fever. “It was so traumatizing,” Korir says. “Elian was our firstborn, and it was a very tough experience.”

Beyond the emotional toll, Elian’s illness was a financial burden on the newly married couple. “We didn’t have money at the time, so we had to take out a loan to settle the hospital bills,” Chemko explains.

This harrowing experience shaped their decision when they heard about the new malaria vaccine.

Malaria remains a life-threatening disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. In 2023, there were roughly 260 million new malaria cases and close to 600,000 malaria deaths globally, according to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO). Sub-Saharan Africa continues to shoulder most of the burden, with 94 percent of global malaria cases and 95 percent of malaria deaths. Children are particularly at risk. WHO estimates that just over 400,000 African children died from malaria in 2023.

In Homabay County, everyone you speak to has a malaria story. In fact, it is because of the suffering caused by malaria that the Kenyan government teamed up with WHO, UNICEF, PATH, and other partners to introduce the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine in 2019 as a pilot program in parts of Kenya, Ghana, and Malawi.

Malaria vaccination reduces the number of times a child gets sick with malaria, including severe malaria, and reduces child deaths. Data from the four-year pilot show a 13 percent drop in deaths from all causes among children age-eligible for vaccination across the three countries, substantial reductions in hospitalizations for severe malaria, and high community demand and acceptance of the malaria vaccine.

Kenya’s Homabay County, a high-risk malaria zone, was one of the eight counties in the malaria-endemic lake region selected to introduce the vaccine in Kenya. Within the eight counties, eligible children from 51 sub-counties now benefit from malaria vaccine protection—roughly double the number of sub-counties that began providing the vaccine six years ago.

Today, countries across sub-Saharan Africa are providing malaria vaccines to children living in areas of medium and high malaria transmission. Two WHO-recommended malaria vaccines, RTS,S and R21/Matrix-M, are available, and are used in addition to insecticide-treated nets, indoor spraying with insecticides, and other malaria prevention measures. By May 2025, 20 countries, including Kenya, were providing malaria vaccines through their routine immunization systems.

In Homabay, Brian Korir recalls his initial hesitation about taking Elian to get the new vaccine back in 2019.

“We sat down as a family, and after recalling our traumatic experience with him getting malaria, my wife convinced me,” Korir says. “I thank her for making that bold decision.”

Now, their second child, Liam, almost two, has also been vaccinated, this time without hesitation. He has already received three doses and is expecting to get the fourth at 24 months. According to their parents, neither Elian nor Liam has contracted malaria since receiving the vaccine.

Early in the morning at the Ndhiwa Sub-District Hospital, around 30 mothers sit on cement benches, waiting for their turn to have their babies vaccinated. Some breastfeed their infants in the sweltering heat.

Inside the vaccination room, Rose Olumo, a seasoned nurse in a navy-blue uniform, conducts general health check-ups on a seven-month-old girl, weighing her and measuring her height. The trust between the young mother and Olumo is evident as the nurse carefully explains what to expect in the coming days.

“September 13, 2019, was a particularly special day for me,” says Olumo, the nurse who administered the first dose to Elian, who was six months old at that time. “I felt immense joy knowing I played a role in this historic moment.” Olumo was even interviewed on local television, and friends called to congratulate her.

The Kenyan government’s work against malaria in this region has become a game changer in the nation’s fight against the disease. With support from partners, the county has rolled out several interventions against malaria, including provision of bed nets, indoor residual spraying, provision of preventive medicine to expecting mothers, and the malaria vaccine.

The intense effort has led to reduced prevalence in the region, and malaria, once among the top three killers in Ndhiwa, now ranks ninth. In terms of overall immunization, Vaccines and Immunization Coordinator for Ndhiwa Sub-County Nolyne Boit is proud of the work they are doing. “Each year, we set immunization targets, from the national level down to individual health facilities,” he explains. Efforts are underway to vaccinate at least 95 percent of children, as per WHO recommendations.

Community Health Promoters have been crucial in educating families, tracking immunization schedules, and referring mothers to health facilities. When turnout is low, they track the under-immunized children in the communities and set up vaccination outreach in underserved areas.

Thanks to these efforts, more than 100,000 children have been vaccinated with the malaria vaccine as of January 31, 2025. Christine Ong’ete, the Homabay County Immunization Services Coordinator, reports that in just five years, malaria infection rates in the county dropped from 27 percent to 3.6 percent. Of the county’s 1.2 million residents, this means more than 32,000 fewer cases of severe malaria requiring hospitalization, less financial strain on families, and a boost in productivity.

Many families in Ndhiwa rely on subsistence farming, particularly sugarcane cultivation, and unexpected health care costs can strain their already limited income. Malaria interventions, including the vaccine, have provided much-needed relief, allowing families to focus on their livelihoods.

As efforts continue to vaccinate children against malaria, immunization officials are working to address challenges with low uptake of the malaria vaccine fourth dose. For example, out of the 77 percent of children who have received the vaccine in Homabay County, only 32 percent have completed all four doses.

Ong’ete explains that some parents mistakenly believe vaccinations end after the measles-rubella shot at nine months, skipping further doses. This highlights the need for clearer communication. “Bring your children,” she urges. “Don’t let them suffer or die from a disease that can be prevented.”

Lessons from Kenya and the other pilot countries are helping to guide malaria vaccine introduction strategies across sub-Saharan Africa. PATH works closely with partners to help disseminate these lessons to benefit children like Elian and his brother Liam.