When offered to give them the world's first vaccine against this deadly mosquito-borne disease, she jumped at the chance.

In western Kenya, where malaria is endemic, more than 100,000 children have received this new vaccine against the disease which kills 260,000 children under five in sub-Saharan Africa every year.

A pilot program to inoculate this revolutionary vaccine - which took 30 years to develop - has been underway since 2019 in Kenya, as well as in Ghana and Malawi.

In October 2021, its widespread use was approved for children by the World Health Organization (WHO) in sub-Saharan Africa and other at-risk regions.

For Ms Akinyi and her extended family, who live in rural Siaya County near Lake Victoria, the vaccine has worked wonders.

The mother of the family ensured that her children slept under mosquito nets but, despite her best efforts, they continued to be bitten, especially when they were playing outside.

"We had a lot of malaria at home. We could go to the hospital three times a month," she explains.

Since receiving the vaccine, none of her children have suffered from malaria, she says, which has changed her life in an area where the disease is a leading cause of death.

"We are very happy because none of my children are sick," she said.

Her sister-in-law, Millicent Akoth Oyoya, decided to vaccinate her own children after the results seen on her nieces and nephews.

Malaria Marine LEDOUX AFP/Archives

"Since the youngest (Akinyi's child) was vaccinated, he has never had malaria again," she explains in the room where she waits to have her nine-month-old boy vaccinated.

"So I decided to bring mine so he could be free of malaria."

High costs

Hospitals in western Kenya - where it is not uncommon for pediatric wards to be overflowing with children with malaria - are starting to see results.

Not only are malaria admissions falling, but so are the severity of symptoms.

A caregiver measures the dosage of a malaria vaccine on September 13, 2019 in Ndhiwa, western Kenya Brian ONGORO AFP/Archives

“Since we started administering the vaccine in September 2019, we have seen a reduction in malaria cases,” says Elsa Swerua, chief nurse at Akala Health Center in Siaya County.

"Even for children who get malaria, it's not severe, and the death toll from malaria has also come down."

Less malaria - which can strike the same person multiple times each year - also means fewer hospital stays, a boon for families struggling to pay multiple fees.

"Before the vaccines (...) we spent a lot of money on medicines, to buy them and to go to the hospital. The cost was high," says Ms. Akinyi.

Now the family has more money to spend on food and other essentials, she says.

Dr Simon Kariuki, chief researcher at the Kenya Institute of Medical Research and an expert on malaria, points out that the vaccine has been a game-changer.

"We have shown that this vaccine is safe and can be administered to young African children who suffer the most from malaria," he adds.

The pilot program showed that the vaccine could "reduce the occurrence of malaria for young children in these areas by almost 40%", he continues.

WHO recommends that the vaccine be given in four doses for children over the age of five months in areas with moderate to high transmission.

© 2022 AFP