Vaccination hero: A scientist's lifelong mission to save lives

For the past four decades, he has dedicated each day to advancing his understanding of the immune system and the vital role vaccines play in ensuring long-term protection for individuals and communities.

In his micro-world as a scientist, his actions are guided by precision and curiosity as he examines the microscopic world, invisible to the naked eye—a world that holds the power to save millions of lives.

Prof Walter Jaoko is the lead immunologist and director of the Kenya Aids Vaccine Initiative (KAVI) Institute of Clinical Research, and his research is dedicated to understanding how modern science can change the world.

As the world marks Africa Vaccination Week in early April, he urges individuals to appreciate and reflect on global, regional, and national progress in immunisation campaigns, to honour those on the frontlines, and to consider the work that still needs to be done to save millions of lives.

World Immunisation Week, celebrated in the last week of April, aims to promote the life-saving power of immunisation to protect people of all ages. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), vaccines have prevented more than 20 life-threatening diseases, contributing to longer, healthier lives.

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The lifesaving benefits

In Kenya, the Ministry of Health established the National Vaccines and Immunisation Programme in 1980. Its aim was to provide immunisation against six major childhood diseases: tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, and measles.

The immunisation programme mandates that all children under one year old receive up to five vaccinations, all women of childbearing age receive the tetanus vaccination, and all girls aged 10 years receive two doses of the HPV vaccine.

Due to widespread immunisation, the Ministry of Health reports a significant reduction in preventable diseases such as polio and maternal neonatal tetanus in Kenya.

Professor Walter Jaoko, Director of the KAVI Institute of Clinical Research, believes that despite information and reports from the Ministry of Health, myths have contributed to vaccine hesitancy in Kenya.

“For instance, some people claim that vaccines are laced with family planning to depopulate Africa, so people have been told not to take their girls for vaccination because they will become sterile, and others have claimed that people who are vaccinated will die after two years, especially when we were vaccinated against Covid-19,” said Prof Jaoko.

He also dispels the myth that vaccines cause autism in children, a falsehood propagated by a medical doctor whose study was later proven fraudulent, his published articles retracted, and his medical licence revoked because his research was based on lies.

According to Prof Jaoko, increasing public awareness of the benefits of vaccination will dispel these myths and improve vaccine uptake. He emphasises that vaccines have been effective since the first vaccine was developed in 1796 by Edward Jenner during a smallpox outbreak.

“In Kenya, we have seen that vaccines have been used to eradicate smallpox and also polio. When we were growing up, we would see many children walking to school on crutches due to polio, which we no longer see. So people do not realise that all of that was controlled with the use of vaccines,” he explains.

WHO includes vaccines in its prequalified list only after thorough evaluation of relevant data, testing of samples, and inspections of manufacturing sites.

Childhood vaccines, such as BCG, DPT, polio, and measles have good uptake, but Professor Jaoko stresses the need for higher uptake to achieve herd immunity.

Builds the body’s defence

He explains that, unlike drugs, which fight existing infections and require consistent blood levels, vaccines stimulate the body’s immune system to build defences. Once this occurs, the vaccine is eliminated. “What remains is the body’s immune response that continues to fight the germ when the body is exposed to it,” explains Professor Jaoko.

He adds that individuals may experience mild and manageable side effects, such as soreness at the injection site, rashes, or fever, due to varying responses to vaccines.

Prof Jaoko advocates for increased awareness, particularly through healthcare professionals, to counter misinformation spread on social media, where people have been trusting unverified sources without checking the facts.

He warns that healthcare professionals who share unverified information contribute to vaccine hesitancy.

He says; “I believe that when some medical professionals do not update their knowledge on vaccines and end up sharing misinformation found on social media, they will keep people away from getting vaccinated or taking their children for vaccination.”

“For example, the HPV vaccine, where cervical cancer is the leading cancer with the highest mortality rate among Kenyan women after breast cancer, has been shown to protect young girls from getting this cancer. However, the uptake is less than 30 per cent, while in countries, such as those in Europe, where the prevalence is low, they have almost 80 to 90 per cent uptake of the HPV vaccine,” he adds.

He laments that those who need the vaccine most are being discouraged by misinformation. Furthermore, some religious leaders claim the vaccine encourages sexual activity. “Additionally, he says some religious leaders have claimed that it is a way of giving young girls permission to engage in sex with the knowledge that they cannot get the HPV virus.”

Despite his accolades as a professor of Medical Microbiology and Tropical Medicine, Prof Jaoko remains humble and dedicates his time beyond the laboratory to providing hands-on medical assistance and supporting immunisation campaigns, as a member of Rotary International at the Rotary Club of Ngong Hills.

His drive is not fuelled by shiny academic recognitions or hundreds of research publications in his name, but by the smiling faces of children and parents whose lives are protected by childhood vaccines, including the collaborative campaign by the Ministry of Health, United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), WHO, Rotary International and partners in one of the most ambitious global health initiatives in history to eradicate polio. “Through my work with Rotary International, we actively collaborate with families and communities to educate them on the importance, safety, and effectiveness of the polio vaccine,” he says.

A core principle guiding Professor Jaoko’s volunteer work is Rotary International’s Four-Way Test, a simple yet profound ethical reflective mantra that shapes decision-making and service.

“The reflective tagline asks four guiding principles that reinforce my commitment to honesty and service to every person I meet every day. The four key questions are: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?” he said, adding that these critical daily reminders serve as a daily reminder of his life’s purpose.

The future of vaccination

Prof Jaoko is optimistic that increased public education and awareness, through continual engagement with community leaders, including religious and administrative leaders, with accurate information, holds the key to appreciating immunisation as one of the most significant advancements in medical history, preventing countless deaths and reducing the spread of infectious diseases.

“If a leader does not understand the importance of a particular vaccine and they tell members of their ward not to take it, or religious leaders tell their followers not to take it, they will have a huge negative impact. Therefore, they need to be engaged by explaining and answering their questions with the truth, and they will become advocates of vaccines,” he explains.

He asserts that the Ministry of Health must disseminate accurate information through campaigns, such as polio campaigns, to increase vaccination rates.

“Any misinformation that is not counteracted remains like a fact. There have to be plans or communication strategies to counter misinformation about vaccines because when the ministry just keeps quiet, people consider that misinformation to be truthful,” he added.

As Prof Jaoko continues to explore the worlds of mentorship, research and volunteerism, one thing is certain: his impact on medicine and public health will be felt for generations through the smiles of children, the contented hearts of parents and healthy communities.