KEMRI Launches Van that Studies Causes of Under Fives deaths in Kisumu and Siaya

 

The Kenya Medical Research Institute{KEMRI}Acting Director General Prof. Elijah Songok flags off the mobile Mortuary Van that will help in determining the cause of deaths for children aged under five in Kisumu and Siaya counties-Photo By Dickson Odhiambo

By Dickson Odhiambo

February 28, 2024

 KEMRI Launches Van that Studies Causes of Under Fives deaths in Kisumu and Siaya

 The Kenya Medical Research Institute has launched a mobile Mortuary Van that will help in determining the cause of deaths for children aged under five in Kisumu and Siaya counties.

 This project has been on piloting basis on a research programme that provides the first of its kind in Africa.

 The Mobile Mortuary services is for the purpose of researching on the cause of death in Siaya and Kisumu counties as part of Child Mortality Studies.

 Initial preliminary results from the study supported by this van clearly explain the actual cause of most deaths among children under 5 years in Kisumu and Siaya Counties.

 Launching the unique Mobile facility at KEMRI Center for Global Health Research (CGHR) in Kisumu today, KEMRI Acting Director General Prof. Elijah Songok said the Minimal Invasive Testing Sampling (MITS) procedure Van will be used for Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) study that collects, analyzes, and shares evidence needed to design more effective and targeted interventions for prevention of child mortality in regions where it is highest such in their setting.

According to this research study,  preliminary results are showing that the leading and surprising pathogen causing death in children regardless of age is Klebsiella Pneumoniae which has never been appreciated as an important cause of death in previous studies.

 It adds that regardless of age, some of the leading cause of death among infants and children in Kenya’s study site are Malnutrition, Malaria, HIV infections and disease, congenital malformations (birth defects), Pneumoniae and Sepsis.

 The research study further says, the other important causes of death in children include Sickle Cell, Low Birth Weight, diarrhea.

 The project is being implemented by KEMRI in collaboration with Ministry of Health,County health management team, Henry Jackson Foundation (HJF) and Centers forDisease Control and Prevention (CDC) with support from CHAMPS Network Program Office based at Emory University.

So far, the 6-year study has been funded for over USD. 6 million by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation whose CEO Mr. Bill Gates visited KEMRI recently to review the progress of this unique and innovative study in the world.

The cost of MITS Van and accessories is estimated at the cost USD. 70,000. The study will give evidence based targeted interventions and resources where they are needed most in terms of management and treatment of diseases.

The MITS Van concept emanated from the challenges encountered in the process of

enrolling community deaths such as the need for quick burials, transportation challenges among others. KEMRI worked with the community and partners, to introduce an innovation where MITS is done in a Van within the community setting where death occurs within the required 24 hours.

 MITs sample testing, clinical records, and verbal autopsy data are reviewed by a panel of experts Deciding Cause of Death (DECODE) composed of a pathologist, an epidemiologist, a pediatrician, a microbiologist, a neonatologist amongst others to decide on the cause of death for each death.