CURTAINS COME DOWN ON A HISTORIC AND MEMORABLE KASH CONFERENCE

It has been an eventful week for the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) following the successful hosting of its 40th, Anniversary celebrations and the 10th, KASH conference whose curtains came down on Friday, February 14, 2020 at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi.

The anniversary celebrations attended by a record 800 participants was graced by respected scientist and founding chairman of the KEMRI Board of Management, Prof. Kihumbu Thairu.

The KASH organized through the leadership of committee chairman Prof.Charles Mbogo and whose theme was “Towards Sustainable Universal Health Care in Kenya: Utilization of Research Evidence through Multi-Sectoral Collaboration,” lived up to its expectations with very rich cocktail of scientific papers and presentations on various topics. Each daily session recorded an average of 500 participants including eminent local and international scientists with 124 oral scientific sessions and nine (9) symposium reflecting various research efforts delivered through seven different subthemes.   

The tone of the conference had been set right from day one with powerful panel discussions on the two topics of “Cancer: A battle to be won” and “Gender and Science: Harnessing the Potential of women in addressing health”, followed by the rich cocktail of scientific papers and presentations in the 200 abstracts and 17 parallel Scientific sessions including symposiums covering current health and disease challenges.

Prof. Jenifer Orwa the chief guest at the closing ceremony was elated by the “the level of serious scientific discourse that nurtured a cross-pollination of ideas between the young and older scientists,” and encouraged this interaction to continue beyond the conference.

Her view is shared by Prof. Mbogo who besides being grateful to members of his organizing committee and the KEMRI management, said that he was humbled by the enthusiasm expressed by all the presenters, participants and supporters of the conference.

Speaking on behalf of the management, Director in charge of Research and Development in KEMRI, Prof. Sam Kariuki promised to continue supporting the KASH Conference noting that it had grown in statue to an international level. “As Management, we value this conference and will continue supporting it because it is a forum that is nurturing younger scientists of tomorrow,” said Prof. Kariuki.  

In addition, oral scientific sessions and symposiums, at least 40 posters were displayed that all spoke to the seven different subthemes of the conference.

After a grueling three days session, the following were honoured for putting a starling performance in their respective fields under the following categories:

1. Health Systems
2. Bernard Opiyo 004: Immunization Coverage in Siaya County, Kenya, Before and After Healthcare Worker Strikes.
3. Ronald Opiyo 007: Operationalization and sustainability of a quality accredited tuberculosis reference laboratory in resource limited setting, met and unmet goals from 2012 At KEMRI.
4. Angela Kairu 002: Resource tracking for public health facilities in Kenya: experiences in a devolved health system

• Genomics, Diagnostics and Innovations -Session1
• Dauglas Ochora 013: Identification of approved drugs with unknown antiplasmodial activity using chemogenomics and in vitro approaches
• Meenakshi Iyer 011: Phylogenetic analysis and sequence-typing of multi-drug resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae clinical isolates from Kenya using Nanopore sequencing
• Leonard Ndwiga 012: Molecular Analysis of Antimalarial Resistance Markers in Parasite Samples Obtained from Children Recruited into a Drug Efficacy Trial in Kwale, Kenya, 2013

• Infectious Diseases – Session
• Dr Patrick Munyoki 018: Long-term impact of 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Kenya: nasopharyngeal Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage among children and adults six to seven years after vaccine introduction
• Abas Godana 016: Measles Outbreak in Remote Area in Unvaccinated Population, Tana River County, Kenya, January 2019 (wajir County 27/33)
• Muma Shariff 017: Measles outbreak investigation in Wajir County, Kenya 2019

4. TB/ HIV – Session 1

1. Daniel Kwaro 024: HIV Epidemiology among the Fisherfolk in the Islands of Lake Victoria in Western Kenya; 2017-2018
2. Yiakon Sein 029: HIV-specific antibody neutralization function in HIV infected children
3. Eunice Kiilu 026: Tuberculosis Case Finding among HIV Positive clients attending HIV Care Clinic at Kathiani Hospital Machakos County, Kenya, January 2018 to June 2019

• Public Health – Session 1
• Juma Mwavita 031: Assessment of HIV Exposed Infants on Follow Up at Mentor Mothers Program Sites, Kwale County, Kenya, 2016- 2018
• Stacey Orangi 035: Process evaluation of the implementation of Linda Mama Free Maternity Programme in Kenya
• Clifford Oduor 032: Mortality rates and causes of death in an urban informal settlement, Kibera, Kenya, 2017

6. Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)

1. Dr Nchafatso Obonyo 044: Myocardial and haemodynamic responses to two fluid regimens in African children with severe malnutrition and hypovolaemic shock (AFRIM study)
   1. Eva Ombiro 040: Genotypes and Prevalence of High-Risk Human Papillomavirus among patients diagnosed with Head and Neck Cancer at Alexandria Cancer Centre
   1. Mazaher Jaffer 043: Case presentation where MRI shows superiority as a modality for breast cancer screening

• TB/HIV – Session 2
  • Emily Kurera 049: Characterization of Drug Sensitive Tuberculosis cases in the Coastal region of Kenya, 2015-2017
  • Williamson Mwanyika 052: Predictors of unfavourable treatment outcomes among drug sensitive TB patients at the County Referral Hospital, Taita Taveta, Kenya, 2014–2017
  • Joshua Ongalo 053: The distribution and trends of drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis among patient’s sputum samples referred to KEMRI-TB laboratory for drug resistance surveillance in Western Kenya
• Malaria

1. Protus Omondi 054: Gametocyte clearance in children, from western Kenya, with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria after artemether-lumefantrine or dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine treatment

2. Brian Bartilol 057: An effective method for enrichment of Plasmodium falciparum DNA from cryopreserved infected red blood cells,

3. Aaron Samwels 058: Diagnostic performance of ultra-sensitive rapid diagnostic tests (uRDTs) for malaria in pregnant women attending antenatal care clinics in western Kenya

9. Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDS)

1. Peninah Munyua 065: High incidence of human brucellosis in a rural Pastoralist community in Kenya, 2016
   1. Stella Kepha 066: An evaluation of Trichuris trichiura prevalence in Kwale County
   1. Erastus Mulinge 062: Prevalence and genotyping of Taenia species in dogs from five counties in Kenya

10. Sexual, Reproductive, Adolescence and Child Health (SRACH) – Session 1

1. Lillian Nyaga 071: Multi-sectorial approach; a road map for joint implementation of Adolescent and Youth Sexual Reproductive Health interventions,
   1. Dennis Chalo 068: Classification of semen parameter results for patients visiting the University of Nairobi obstetrics and gynaecology andrology laboratory
   1. Beatrice Olack 072: Causes of Low Birth Weight and Preterm Neonatal Mortality in Migori, Kenya: Evidence from Verbal Autopsy,

11. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) – Session 1

1. Elizabeth Odundo 077: Human Campylobacter spp., susceptibility patterns and capsular types, Elizabeth
   1. Tabitha Oketch 078: Assessment of antibiotic stewardship among patients admitted in Migori County Referral Hospital (MCRH) – June 2018-June 2019,
   1. Brian Ogoti 080: Regional Distribution and Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from humans in Africa

12. Genomics, Diagnostics and Innovations – Session 2

1.  Martha Kivecu 082: Evaluation of Plasmodium falciparum Histidine-Rich Protein 2 and 3 (PfHRP2 and PfHRP3) gene polymorphisms in Kenya

13. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) – Session 2

1. Joyce Odwar 089: Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance) in an urban slum in Nairobi, Kenya
   1. Caroline Tigoi 090: Carriage of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) among children with Acute Childhood Illness in Kenya
   1. Beatrice Oduor 088: Socio-economic factors related to antimicrobial resistance in middle and low Income countries, a literature review

14. Public Health – Session 2

1. Michuki Maina 095: Improving Water Sanitation and Hygiene in Public Hospitals,
   1. Corneleous Okal 100: Factors associated with exit of HIV stable patients onFast track ART refill at Homabay County Teaching and Referral Hospital, November 2014 – December 2018
   1. Reagan Moseti 096: Vitamin D insufficiency is highly prevalent among children living in Africa

15. Sexual, Reproductive, Adolescence and Child Health (SRACH) – Session 2

1. Beatrice Olack 104: Community Perceptions on Preterm Births, Practices and Care for Preterm Newborns in Migori County Kenya: Preliminary Analysis of a Qualitative Study,
2. Sarah Ngere 108: Perception on alternative medicine for children under five years among community members in western Kenya: A qualitative study,
3. Sarah Finocchario-Kessler 107: Piloting at-birth HIV DNA PCR testing at four government hospitals in Kenya

16. Public health and Health Systems

1. Ronald Odero 114: Completeness, accuracy and legibility of Tuberculosis culture test requisition forms with reference to the Laboratory Information System (LIMS)implementation in MOH facilities in Western Kenya,
2. Melven  Obuya 111: Preparedness of primary care and community markets to develop a system interface to drive health equity: The HEKIMA study in Vihiga, Kenya,
3. Yvonne Kamau 115: Provider Experience with Implementing Birth Point of Care Infant HIV Testing: An Implementation Study at 4 Rural Hospitals in Kenya,

17. Infectious Diseases – Session 2

1. George Otieno 124: The Use of Zinc and ORS for Treatment of Childhood Diarrhea in Rural Western Kenya, 2010-2017
2. Anne Amulele 118: Characterization of Shigella species causing disease in children admitted to Kilifi County Hospital, Kenya,
3. Janet Majanja 120: Enhanced surveillance for early detection of MERS-CoV in Kenya: findings from returning pilgrims in 2016

18. Best Poster Presenter: Session 1

1. Mike Powel Osita 126:  Genomic characterization of invasive Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi isolates from Population-Based Infectious Disease Surveillance in Kibera, Kenya, 2007 – 2018,
   1. Bryan Musyoka 128:  Prevalence of mutations in Plasmodium falciparum genes associated with resistance to different antimalarial drugs in Nyando, Kisumu County in Kenya,
   1. Fredrick Ade 127: The utility of Taqman Array Card technology for determination of the cause of death in children under 5 years of age in Western Kenya

19. Best Poster Presenter: Session 2

1. Jackson Muema 162: Discovery and exploration of dual stage-active antimalarial compounds for development of Plasmodium
   1. Terry Komo 145: Prescription of Antimalarials among Malaria-negative Febrile Patients in an Urban Informal Settlement in Nairobi, Kenya
   1. Janet Ndonye 156: Carriage of Comamonas kerstersii from asymptomatic participants enrolled in a case-control diarrheal study in Kenya

20. Best County Presenter

 i. Juma Mwavita 031: Assessment of HIV Exposed Infants on Follow Up at Mentor Mothers Program Sites, Kwale County, Kenya, 2016- 2018

21. YOUNG INVESIGATORS AWARD

KASH initiated a Young Investigators Award which was open to the young upcoming scientist. The young upcoming scientists were required to apply for this award so that they may be enlisted for consideration by the KASH Young Investigators Selection Panel. 12 Abstracts were selected for presentation during 10^th KASH program. KASH Secretariat would like to make this an annual event and make it bigger and better.

1. Ismail Adow Ahmed 001: Uptake of antenatal care services among women of reproductive age in Mandera County, Kenya.
   1. Kevin Kariuki Wamae 012: No Evidence of P. falciparum K13 Artemisinin Conferring Mutations Over a 24-year Analysis in Coastal Kenya, but a Near Complete Reversion to Chloroquine Wild Type Parasites
   1. Nancy Kagwanja 010: Shocks, stresses and everyday health system resilience: Experiences from the Kenyan Coast.