Kenya Enters First Major TB Vaccine Trial in 100 Years

By Chemtai Kirui, Nairobi, Kenya

Kenya has become one of three African nations participating in a major international clinical trial testing a new tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, officials announced on Tuesday. The move aims to combat a disease that continues to pose significant public health challenges in the country.

The Investigation of MTBVAC toward Accelerating Global Immunization for a Neglected Epidemic (IMAGINE) study, is a Phase 2b trial assessing both the safety and efficacy of MTBVAC in preventing active pulmonary TB among adolescents and adults with latent TB. It includes approximately 4,300 participants across 15 sites in Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania.

First participants were vaccinated in February 2025, and they will be followed for 2–3 years.

Researchers expect results by 2029.

MTBVAC, which contains all antigens present in the human-infecting TB strain, is developed from a weakened strain of the TB-causing bacterium, designed for adolescents and adults and could offer broader, longer-lasting protection than the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, which has been in use for over a century and is mainly effective in young children.