| Preparations for TB vaccine trials |
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 The TB Vaccine Cohort Study that is being conducted by the Kenya Medical Research Institute/ Centre for Disease Control (KEMRI/CDC) has been going on in Karemo Division of Siaya District over the past one year. The study’s coordinator, Mr Peter Nyamthimba says that this is a preparation for trials for a tuberculosis vaccine slated for next year.
Mobile “We are gauging our ability to recruit, retain and follow up adolescents for a period of up to one year which is important for the vaccine trial,” Mr Nyamthimba explains. He says that the series of tents and the truck are part of a mobie field site following up on adolescents from the locality. The mobile field sites are put up at public places across Karemo Division expected to reach the 5,000 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18, who are enrolled in the study. X-rays The division has been divided into 17 regions, referred to as clusters, and a timetable drawn up for the visits. In the tents, the youth undergo a series of tests for tuberculosis. Those suspected to be suffering from the disease are referred to the truck for x-rays if they test positive, are put on treatment while being monitored. There has been an upsurge in cases of tuberculosis over the years, which is attributed to a variety of factors ranging from effects of the HIV/Aids pandemic to increasing resistance against drugs. The situation is worsened by a vaccine whose level of protection against the disease has been found wanting. Experts say that there is growing need for a new vaccine in the world to bolster the BCG vaccine that is presently administered upon birth. Protection Dr Lawrence Okong’o, who is involved in the preparations for vaccine trials at KEMRI/CDC, says that the BCG vaccine confers only 70 per cent protection to those vaccinated, usually against severe forms of the disease. Mr Nyamthimba says that the BCG vaccine that has been in use for close to a century now, gradually weakens as the child grows up. He adds that by the time a child celebrates the twelfth birthday, the vaccine’s efficiency is very low. “There is need for a vaccine that takes infants up to adulthood,” he explains. Safety Dr Okong’o says that a vaccine candidate, Aereas 402, has been identified and would be taken through phase two trials to test for safety in humans. The trials will also be seeking to find out whether the vaccine confers immunity to the vaccinated infants. Similar trials are planned for South Africa, Uganda and Mozambique. Similar investigations are on going amongst infants at the Siaya District Hospital. “We will build on this work on adolescents and infants to carry out trials. The information will contribute towards the development of the vaccine for better protection against the TB,” says Dr Okong’o. Ethics The 2900 infants in the study were enrolled soon after birth where village-based health workers administer the BCG vaccine and follow them up, with regular tests at Siaya District Hospital. Dr Okong’o says that the trials could be rolled out by May next year. Presently, they are working on preliminary requirements that include seeking the approval by the Kemri Ethics Review Committee. “We are putting in place protocols, translating them and inserting site specific information,” he explains. A team of investigators is also being assembled and physical infrastructure is also being established. Province A case verification ward has been set up at the Siaya District Hospital and is being used for the infants’ study. Freezers are also being set up at the facility for storage of the vaccine and laboratories at the CDC/Kemri Kisian Campus upgraded. In Nyanza Province, tuberculosis is a major concern. The province recorded the country’s second highest cases of the disease in the country after Nairobi last year. Nyanza has a high TB burden according to official statistics. Source: The Daily Nation |