Despite Kenya’s progress in immunisation and maternal health, introducing new maternal vaccines will require deliberate investment in evidence, strong health systems, strategic communication and sustainable financing starting now, not when the vaccines arrive.
Speaking at a national stakeholders meeting, Dr Rose Jalang’o, Head of the National Vaccines and Immunization Program at the Ministry of Health Kenya, noted that Kenya is not just ready to introduce new maternal vaccines but is positioned to lead, emphasising that readiness is not automatic and requires deliberate investment in evidence, strong health systems, strategic communication and sustainable financing starting now.
Convened under the Preparing for Optimal Phase III/IV Maternal Group B Streptococcal Vaccine Trials in Africa (PROTECT), an Africa-wide Consortium focused on strengthening Africa's readiness for maternal vaccines in Sub-Saharan Africa, the discussion brought together leaders from the National Vaccines and Immunization Program (NVIP), the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB), Gates Foundation , APHRC, LVCT-Health, Obstetricians, Clinical Trial Site Leads, KEMRI, Kilifi County, the, researchers and academia.
The forum highlighted the importance of combining scientific innovation with strong, resilient systems to successfully introduce maternal vaccines and deliver impact at scale, marking an important step toward coordinated, evidence informed policy and action to protect mothers and newborns.
Drawing on lessons from hospital and community experience, participants identified the surveillance, coordination and policy actions required to ensure safe, effective and sustainable maternal immunisation across Kenya.
Funded by the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, the PROTECT project is a multi-country initiative working to strengthen health systems and prepare for future maternal vaccine trials and rollouts in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda. It focuses in part on Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a bacterium that can cause life-threatening infections in newborns, contribute to stillbirths and account for nearly half of global GBS deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.
