I became anaemic, I had headaches,
fatigue, nausea and I just couldn't withstand
being in class from morning to evening
so I had to be bedridden for about two months.
With our tropical climate, we are highly exposed
to the mosquitos that do spread malaria.
17-year-old Victoline was hospitalised with Malaria in 2017.
Kenya has one of the highest rates of malaria in the world.
I want to explore so far where the government has reached
with its programme on eradicating malaria.
A pilot offering vaccines for children started in Kenya in 2019…
giving hope to those like Michelle, whose brother died of malaria.
He was called Brian.
He was two years [old] when I was eight years [old].
My brother was sick
and I didn't know much about malaria at that time.
We were just from a humble background.
My mummy, she went to work.
You can imagine, you're there
with your brother sitting, he's sick.
So I had to go to the neighbour’s
to call my mum to come back home.
She came back and took him to the hospital
but he couldn't make it, he died.
Michelle says precautions like mosquito nets are not enough…
but the vaccine gives her hope that babies could be protected.
Some of us do sleep under mosquito nets
but, you see, there's some people who have
five children in a family.
So you find that these five children sleep in one bed.
Some of them may roll and fall down.
There are mosquitos around and they will be biting them.
There was this introduction of the malaria vaccine
and I suggest if they can bring it faster
it will help the newborn babies.
They won't suffer from malaria like we did.
They won't suffer like my brother, who died,
yeah, who passed on.
So far, over half a million children in Kenya, Ghana and Malawi...
have received a dose of the vaccine.
But the vaccine is only around 40% effective at the moment.
So can malaria be eradicated before the end of the decade?
Victoline is visiting a nearby research clinic to find out.
In the last three to four years
reducing malaria cases has stagnated.
We would have hoped that compared to 2010
we would have been quite far in terms of
reducing new malaria infections.
Research still has to do quite a lot to get us to eradication
and some of it is the current interventions
that are not working as well as they should.
Research needs to answer the question: why are they not working?
And to propose what we need to do to enhance them.
We have insecticide-treated nets,
we have to make sure everyone presenting with a fever
has to be tested at clinic and you have the tools available,
such as the rapid diagnostic tests for malaria
and then treat them with good drugs.
We've had many things in place
and now the introduction of a vaccine.
I am hopeful, but I am also realistic
in the sense that what we have needs to actually work.
But not everyone feels hopeful about the vaccine pilot.
Critics say the government should focus on delivering existing drugs…
to treat malaria, and run a more efficient health service.
Victoline's local MP is sceptical about the vaccine.
We have little faith in the malaria vaccine until we see it working.
So much research has been going on for the 20 years that I know of,
but we have seen no results, we have seen nothing.
A malaria vaccine is not going to be the answer to our pain.
We also need to go down on the health elements.
Bad sanitation,
the water puddles,
the access to the hospital - you go to the hospital right now,
you are saying Kenya, Kisumu are getting malaria control,
you can't even get aspirin in the hospital.
Go for basic, primary healthcare.
Deal with the causes as well as the symptoms
but don't go for quick finishes.
And that's where the malaria vaccine is there,
they want a quick finish, they want a quick response
so that they can declare that they have got malaria under control.
So I don't see it, 2030 is just round the corner
and I don't see it.
You'll be there, I might not be there but I don't see it.
The World Health Organization says, if introduced widely…
the vaccine could potentially save tens of thousands of lives.
After hearing different views on how to tackle the disease…
and visiting a hospital which treats malaria patients…
what does Victoline think about efforts to eradicate the disease?
The government is really trying.
Today we are told that just two years back
the rate of malaria in this area was around 38% of the population.
But right now it has reduced to 27%.
That, I think, is a great achievement.
Project 17 was produced in collaboration with the Open University.