Malaria Killed 400,000 Globally: Is Kenya Out Of The Woods?

Malaria is still a public health crisis not only in Kenya but also in other parts of the globe.

Reports given by the Senior Advisor, Africa Leaders Malaria Alliance, Kenya, Dr. Willis Akhwale last year show that 400,000 people died of malaria globally and 90 percent of the reported cases were from Africa.

The number of cases and the number of deaths is not coming down as witnessed before. The rampant and increased number of malaria spread in Africa according to the World Health Organization is the long lifespan and strong human-biting habit of the African vector species.

In Kenya, malaria presents a serious threat to the health sector both at the national and county levels. Its highly infectious and even though the covid 19 pandemics have been on the rise, malaria is still the leading cause of mortality in the country, resulting in a thousand deaths every year. It’s estimated that the disease kills approximately 20,000 per year in the country.

The mosquito-borne disease acutely affects western Kenya, especially counties that make up the Lake Endemic, where malaria is the principal cause of sickness and death. In 2019, the Kenya National Malaria incidence in this region was reported at 125.92cases per thousand population.

Early this year, the Kisumu County Malaria Control Coordinator, Lilyana Dayo said that malaria prevalence in the county had dropped from 27 percent in 2015 to 19 percent in 2021 following a raft of measures rolled out by the government and development partners to tame the killer disease.

The government of Kenya has been trying to reduce the prevalence by introducing effective preventive measures and case management interventions. However, according to the County Measurement, Learning and Accountability Program (CMLAP) for USAID, this is proving difficult due to the inconsistent and incomplete malaria program data recorded in routine health information systems and therefore posing a challenge to persuade the county governments officials to prioritize urgent interventions at health Facilities that could save lives.

According to the WHO, more than one year into the covid 19 pandemic has already caused substantial disruptions to health services across the globe. A recent WHO survey shows that approximately one-third of countries around the world reported disruptions in malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment services during the first quarter of 2021, and Kenya is among those countries.

The introduction of lockdowns and restrictions on the movement of people and goods has led to delays in many deliveries of insecticide-treated mosquito nets or indoor insecticide spraying campaigns. Many people are also unable or unwilling to seek care in the health facilities due to fear of covid 19.

With the theme “Zero Malaria – Draw the Line Against Malaria”, World Malaria Day 2021 which was celebrated on the 25^th of April came at a time when healthcare systems in Africa bear a heavyweight of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development for AU said that the ultimate aim of this year’s theme is to ensure that people work together in a commitment to end malaria completely by 2030. The Ministry of Health in Kenya on the same day launched the  Great Lakes Malaria Initiative Strategic Plan for 2021 to 2025, which is a boost to the government’s collaboration with the Cuban government to spray mosquito larvae at their  breeding sites

She added that the zero malaria starts with me campaign implemented by the commission in partnership[p with the African Leaders has brought about great achievement in terms of malaria spread reduction.

Speaking to the media on 27^th June 2021, Dr. Akhwale said that the increased prevalence of malaria thiS season could be since the rains have just ended. He gave an assurance that the teams on the ground are working very closely with the malaria program to monitor this.

This came After reports of an increase of malaria cases in Nandi County, which borders Kisumu county, which has rampant malaria cases.

In response to the ongoing malaria crisis, the Kenyan government is now heavily relying on the use of RTSS vaccine which has already been used in eight counties with a high prevalence of malaria to vaccinate at least 190,000 children under two years, apart from embarking on mass mosquito net distribution in 27 counties.

The World Health Organisation has identified July through September as malaria high peak months and is now calling upon the frontline health workers, partners, and leaders in Africa and worldwide to share experience and reflections on efforts and opportunities to reach the target of zero malaria.

Health Authorities in Kenya are also calling for concerted effort in fighting malaria amidst the coronavirus pandemic that is ravaging the world.

Read More: 4 Million Malaria Cases Are Reported Annually In Kenya