Supporting the production of quality livestock vaccines for enterotoxaemia, pasteurella and Rift Valley fever in Kenya

It is estimated that Kenya has 18.2 million cattle, 16.3 million sheep, and 24.6 million goats. The majority of these animals (80%) are held by smallholder farmers who depend on livestock for their livelihoods. About a quarter of these animals succumb to various preventable diseases causing significant economic and social hardship to the farmers. This also leads to a negative impact on the national economy as livestock contributes 10-17% to the gross domestic product. Among the diseases are haemorrhagic septicaemia, enterotoxaemia and Rift Valley fever, all of which are prevalent in Kenya and in East Africa in general. Rift Valley fever is of special concern as it is transmissible between livestock and humans.

The objective of this project is to increase the availability of vaccines through the supply of vaccine bulk antigens from MCI Santé Animale of Morocco to the Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute. The project will support technology transfer and establishment of product formulation and quality systems that will enable the Kenyan Institute to produce and register three new vaccines of international quality standards. This project will also pilot a model for bulk antigen processing for other vaccine types in Africa that can later be scaled up for improved availability of high-quality vaccines to smallholder livestock keepers.

This project is funded by the Livestock Vaccine Innovation Fund (LVIF). LVIF is a partnership of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Global Affairs Canada, and IDRC. It represents a joint investment of CA$57 million over five years to support the development, production, and commercialization of innovative vaccines against priority livestock diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.