What we’re doing

Malaria Phase III Vaccine Study

This trial in Karemo division in Siaya District where 1620 children have enrolled is one of three sites in Kenya and six other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Anti-malarial Drug Efficacy Study

KEMRI/CDC conducts regular clinical trials to assess the effectiveness of currently recommended and new potential drugs for the treatment of symptomatic, uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in young children.

Epidemiologic Surveillance

KEMRI/CDC conducts inpatient and outpatient surveillance at Siaya District Hospital and selected health centers within the KEMRI/CDC Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS). We measure the burden of malaria in the community through annual cross-sectional surveys.

Malaria in Pregnancy

Evaluate new drugs and strategies for prevention of malaria
in pregnancy.

Transmission reduction activities

KEMRI/CDC assess the best way of measuring how malaria is spread in the community, and monitors insecticide resistance.

Studying mosquitoes and parasites

To understand how mosquitoes interact with malaria parasites, KEMRI/CDC conducts vector surveillance and insecticide resistance monitoring.

Building Laboratory Capacity

KEMRI/CDC malaria labs actively build capacity by training staff and creating high quality services.

Well-equipped labs enable KEMRI/CDC to support major epidemiologic studies.

Malaria labs combat the use of poor quality antimalarial drugs in local communities by collaborating with labs at CDC in Atlanta to evaluate them.

Malaria Research

In Kenya, one in five children do not live to see their 5th birthday and the most common cause of death among these children is malaria. Malaria not only accounts for 36,000 deaths per year but is a huge drain on the economic growth in the country.

Kemri/CDC has state of art laboratories able to support major epidemiologic studies and conduct basic lab research

For affected communities in Kenya and around the world it is critical to scale up the available malaria control tools as well as continue to develop new strategies to reduce the malaria burden.

For more than 30 years, the Malaria Research Branch of KEMRI/CDC has been addressing the problem of malaria at its source, directly working with vulnerable families in their homes and communities as well as with local hospitals, clinics, and laboratories. Studies contribute to cutting-edge solutions improving malaria prevention, treatment and health care guidelines that protect health in challenging, resource-poor communities.

Researchers from the Malaria Branch serve on the Division of Malaria Control (DOMC) technical working groups, assist with development of the MOH malaria prevention and control guidelines, assist WHO to evaluate new long lasting insecticide treated bed nets (LLITNs), monitor efficacy of vaccines and effectiveness of Intermittent PreventiveTreatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for malaria in pregnancy, and assists the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI).

Highlights

Recent evaluations showed the combination of Indoor residual spraying (IRS) and insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) can further reduce the burden of malaria in areas of recurrent transmission. • Research confirmed the reliability of Rapid Diagnostic Testing (RDTs) in diagnosing malaria in rural health facilities
• Confirmed the high dose of folic acid prescribed for pregnant women in Kenya interferes with the ability of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) to effectively combat malaria infections
• Showed that the combination of indoor residual spraying (IRS) and insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) can further reduce the burden of malaria in areas of recurrent transmission
• Participated in a multicenter trial, which showed RTS,S vaccine reduces malaria over the first year of follow-up by 50% in children aged 5-17 months