The Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) is set to launch clinical vaccination trials for Ebola vaccine.
Kemri Walter Reed project Kericho Senior Deputy Director Fredric Sawe said the researchers will launch the trials in June. "People were scared to travel to West Africa or to host passengers from that region. We now aim to put an end to that by launching a clinical vaccine trail of the vaccine," said Dr Sawe.
Speaking at Kericho Green Stadium during the World's Vaccine Day and the launch of Kericho HIV and Aids Strategic plan, Sawe also revealed that for the last 15 years, the organisation has been conducting research and they had conducted two clinical trials for HIV vaccine, which had demonstrated impressive response and safety. "Nonetheless, we did not get enough response for public use but we are close to it. There is only one study in the whole world which was conducted by Walter Reed in Thailand, which demonstrated 31 per cent effectiveness," he said.
He said they had since analysed the Thailand study and the organisation would launch another HIV vaccine clinical trial in September and an additional one next year.
"People don't adhere to all the HIV prevention measures such as abstinence, faithfulness, male circumcision, HIV testing and counselling and retroviral treatment among other means and that is why a HIV vaccine is required," said Sawe.
He added they had registered 82,000 HIV and Aids patients in Kericho, Nandi, Bomet and Narok.