Research Briefs

In 2020, men comprised 66% of all reported TB cases in Kenya. The TB cases were notably higher in males compared to females at 56.5% and 32.5% respectively while the prevalence for children was 11%.3    There are concerted efforts to care for and prevent TB through screening, timely diagnosis, treatment, and preventive mechanisms. Read more:

Globally and in Africa, health is recognised as critical for sustainable development and there has been growing pressure on governments to allocate adequate resources to health. This brief starts by highlighting global and regional commitments that African countries have ratified that focus on health and domestic health financing and the status, challenges and opportunities for African governments to translate these commitments at country level. The brief then highlights three key innovations in domestic health financing and efficient use of resources being implemented and explored in Africa and elsewhere. This brief is based on a rapid review of existing evidence and […]

Globally, 2.8 million newborns die each year, with low and middle-income countries (LMICs) contributing to 98% of this burden.  In Kenya, neonatal mortality has continued to be a major health challenge for the past decade. Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is an effective evidence-based intervention to reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality, and the health system plays an essential role in the scale-up and adoption of KMC. Read further on these neonatal interventions.

Globally, the COVID-19 vaccination drive has faced some challenges, including vaccine hesitancy or reluctance among the public. In Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) such as Kenya, hesitancy risks greater community transmission and could exacerbate the COVID-19 burden already being experienced. COVID-19 vaccination message positioning is a vital communication technique, especially in the sequencing of choice of words and having a single focused message. Read more on lessons from low-and middle-income countries’ communication strategies used to promote COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

The East African Health and Scientific Conference (EAHSC) is a bi-annual event organized by the East African Health Research Commission (EAHRC) and East Africa Community (EAC) Partner States. Its main objective is to promote the application of research as well as strengthen regional cooperation in health in line with Article 118 of the Treaty of Establishment of the EAC.

This issue brief presents a summary of abstracts presented during the 8th East Africa Health Scientific Conference (EAHSC)  on COVID-19; as well as key messages and recommendations from the review and synthesis of the abstracts. The Conference was held between 17-19 November 2021 in Nairobi, Kenya.

This issue brief presents a summary of abstracts presented during the 8th East Africa Health Scientific Conference (EAHSC)  on COVID-19; as well as key messages and recommendations from the review and synthesis of the abstracts. The Conference was held between 17-19 November 2021 in Nairobi, Kenya.

The East African Health and Scientific Conference (EAHSC) is a bi-annual event organized by the East African Health Research Commission (EAHRC) and East Africa Community (EAC) Partner States. Its main objective is to promote the application of research as well as strengthen regional cooperation in health in line with Article 118 of the Treaty of Establishment of the EAC.

This issue brief presents efforts by the Heightening institutional capacity for government use of health research (HIGH-Res) project (led by AFIDEP) to introduce a training module on evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM) in select institutions in Kenya and Malawi targeting technical-level staff. As part of continuing professional education, the EIDM training will serve to entrench an evidence use culture.

This issue brief highlights interventions under the Heightening institutional capacity for government use of health research (HIGH-Res) project (led by AFIDEP) to address the gaps identified in the baseline survey. The interventions were developed in partnership with KEMRI, Ministry of Health, selected research champions and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) officers from the pilot counties.

This rapid evidence brief summarises the key messages and recommendations on cross-border measures to contain COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya, presented at the 11th KEMRI Annual Scientific Conference. The evidence summary suggests that travel-related control measures during the COVID-19 pandemic may have a positive impact on infectious disease transmission and screening-related outcomes. However, as the pandemic progresses and efforts in countries including Kenya to ensure up-to-date vaccination for travelers and community at large, vaccination checks at the port of entries might be considered.

Best practices in public health are interventions that have shown to produce desirable outcomes in improving health in real-life settings and are suitable for adaptation by other communities. This rapid evidence brief summarises cases studies presented at the 11th KEMRI Annual Scientific Conference. The case studies demonstrate that it is possible for health facilities to determine local solutions that impact on how service delivery is conducted resulting in improved outcomes. These case studies have the potential for scalability in that the issues to which they provide solutions to are public health issues faced in other parts of the country.