Kenya Joins Global Dengue Research Alliance as Cases Approach 10,000 in 2026

The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), which describes itself as one of the leading health research centres in Africa, has joined the Dengue Alliance, a global partnership working to develop treatments for dengue, making Kenya the first African country to join, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) said on 27 October 2026.

The announcement was made at the Alliance's meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital.

KEMRI and DNDi said in statements that dengue's footprint in Kenya is expanding and, citing the World Health Organization (WHO), that the country reported almost 10,000 cases between January and August 2026.

What the Dengue Alliance is

The statements said the Alliance was formed in 2022 to bring together research institutions in countries where dengue is common, with the aim of speeding up treatments that are safe, effective, affordable and accessible.

Its members include DNDi and institutions from Brazil, Malaysia, India and Thailand.

DNDi is a not for profit medical research organisation.

It says it has delivered 17 new treatments for six diseases since 2003. KEMRI is a state corporation headquartered in Nairobi.

The case numbers

The statements put Kenya's 2025 total at 4,300 cases and its 2024 total at 1,400.

The January to August 2026 count is more than twice the 2025 total and about seven times the 2024 total.

The Ministry of Health reported a narrower count for the same period.

Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said, as reported by The Star, that as at 26 August Garissa County in the northeast had recorded 1,583 cumulative reported cases and Wajir County 95 laboratory confirmed cases, 1,678 in total.

Five suspected deaths were reported, all in Garissa.

The Ministry said no new cases had been reported since the latest county updates, The Standard reported.

Dr Erick Muok, KEMRI's Acting Director of Research and Development, said the true burden of dengue in Africa is underestimated because of underdiagnosis and underreporting.

DNDi said its own studies in Senegal, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo found transmission more widespread than recognised, with detailed results due in early 2027.

Why Kenya's entry matters

Dengue is a virus spread by mosquito bites.

Dr André Siqueira, head of DNDi's Global Dengue Programme, said vaccines and mosquito control have improved, but there is still no specific treatment for dengue and more research is needed to close that gap.

The statements said the Alliance is also supporting research on antivirals, which are medicines that act against a virus, and on therapies that work on the body's own response to infection.

DNDi said KEMRI's membership would help prioritise patients from Africa in future studies.

Siqueira said KEMRI's experience in clinical research, diagnostics, surveillance and outbreak response will help dengue research reflect the needs of people in Africa.

KEMRI will also contribute to work on how dengue spreads, how it is diagnosed and how new medicines are developed, according to the statements.

Where dengue has been found in Kenya

The statements said recent transmission has been reported beyond the traditionally affected coast, including in northern and western Kenya and in areas bordering Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia.

All four types of the dengue virus have been detected in Kenya since its first reported epidemic in 1982.