By Ken Muthomi - Reporter
Kenya , May 02 ,2026 - Researchers at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme have launched a new study to examine how the growing yet often overlooked threat of aflatoxin exposure affects children across Africa.
The study, dubbed Tackling the Risks of Aflatoxins and Climate Effects on Child Health in Africa (TRACE), seeks to examine the effects of prolonged exposure to aflatoxin, a highly toxic substance commonly found in staple foods such as maize and groundnuts, on child health, especially in the context of climate change.
Acute exposure to aflatoxin has been linked to liver damage and cancer, while long-term, low-level exposure is associated with other health issues such as weakened immune systems, poor nutrient absorption, and chronic malnutrition, especially in children.
Researchers say chronic exposure can also damage the gut lining in young children, reducing nutrient absorption and contributing to malnutrition, and may undermine the effectiveness of routine childhood immunisation.
Climate change is expected to worsen the situation. Unpredictable weather conditions create favourable environments for fungal growth, increasing the risk of aflatoxin contamination and putting individuals such as small-scale farmers—who rely on open-air drying and long-term crop storage—at greater risk.
In some cases, contaminated grain rejected by large millers re-enters the food supply chain through informal markets, putting low-income households at risk.
“Aflatoxin contamination is a hidden everyday reality in many African households. Maize and groundnuts, the primary staple foods in much of the continent, are particularly susceptible,” KEMRI Director General Prof. Elijah Songok said.
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The study aims to explore links between environmental change, food contamination, weakened immune systems in children, and increased disease risk.
The findings are expected to help develop strategies to reduce childhood illness and death linked to aflatoxin exposure.
The study will be conducted in the Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS) in coastal Kenya and the Kiang West Longitudinal Population Study in The Gambia.
Key partners include the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, the University of Nairobi, Rootooba, the Kenya Paediatric Research Consortium (KEPRECON), the University of Oxford, and the University of Georgia.
“To address this evidence gap, we are leading the first large-scale study to directly link long-term climate data, food contamination patterns, and child health outcomes across Africa,” said Prof. Ambrose Agweyu, the project’s lead investigator.
“The interdisciplinary study integrates epidemiology, climate science, immunology, anthropology, food safety, health economics, and policy engagement to produce actionable evidence for intervention and scale-up,” he added.