Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract NACNDC/19JASH032 (Oral A19) | Published: 21 Nov 2025
Bethwel Ogweyo Achok1, Tessy Lulia Salano2,&
1Defence College of Health Sciences, Nairobi, Kenya, 2University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
&Corresponding author: Tessy Lulia Salano, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya, Email: luliatessy@gmail.com, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3088-4413
Received: 25 Aug 2025, Accepted: 20 Oct 2025, Published: 21 Nov 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Malaria, regional collaboration, vector control, prevention
©Tessy Lulia Salano et al Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Tessy Lulia Salano et al. Strengthening regional collaboration against communicable diseases: Insights from malaria interventions in Kenya and Uganda. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc6):032. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO6-00032
Malaria is among the leading infectious diseases in Kenya and Uganda. Despite progress in tackling the epidemic, additional efforts are required to increase the effectiveness of existing interventions. Children under five and pregnant women are at the highest risk of infection. The Lake Victoria basin, encompassing Western Kenya and Uganda’s Busoga region are Malaria endemic zones, with the predominant species being Plasmodium falciparum. This paper explores opportunities for regional collaboration in malaria prevention and control including vaccine research, coordinated vector management, and surveillance amid rising antimicrobial resistance and climate-related challenges that compound the risks of contracting Malaria.
In Kenya, 79% of malaria cases occur in lake-endemic zones. Across both countries, interventions include cross-cutting strategies such as Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC), the distribution of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs), and improved access to diagnosis and treatment. Despite these efforts, the WHO African Region continues to bear the greatest global burden of malaria, accounting for about 94% of all cases and 96% of malaria deaths worldwide in 2023. This represents an increase of 11 million cases compared to the previous year, with incidence rising to 58.6 cases per 1,000 population at risk. To strengthen prevention, the RTS,S vaccine was first piloted in some African countries including Kenya, between 2019 and 2023. Evaluation results demonstrated a 22% decrease in hospitalizations due to severe malaria among vaccinated, age-eligible children during the scale-up period.
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