Kenya’s fight against malaria in numbers

Malaria prevalence dropped from 11 per cent to eight per cent between 2010 and 2015. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By LYNET IGADWAH

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Summary

• Malaria prevalence dropped from 11 per cent to eight per cent between 2010 and 2015, data by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows.
• However, progress has not been uniform with WHO data showing that in 2015, the eight per cent prevalence in the coastal region was twice what it had been in 2010 — highlighting the need to sustain high coverage of malaria control

A raft of preventive measures, including use of insecticide treated bednets in high-risk areas, has helped cut the prevalence rate of malaria in Kenya even though it still ranks among top five causes of death in the country.

Countrywide, malaria prevalence dropped from 11 per cent to eight per cent between 2010 and 2015, data by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows.

“Malaria is most pervasive in the endemic region along Lake Victoria with the country’s highest rate of infection at 27 per cent in 2015, yet this figure is down from 38 per cent in 2010,” the organisation noted.

Nonetheless, progress has not been uniform with WHO data showing that in 2015, the eight per cent prevalence in the coastal region was twice what it had been in 2010 — highlighting the need to sustain high coverage of malaria control measures.

Counties in the coastal region bordering the Indian Ocean have the highest malaria burden while those around Lake Victoria have the highest malaria prevalence rates.

According to the WHO, the Coast and Lake region are high-burden areas, and malaria prevalence hovers around eight per cent and 27 per cent respectively.

“Here insecticide-treated bednets are the primary preventive tool whereas indoor spraying with insecticides is targeted towards selected areas with high transmission around Lake Victoria” it says.

The reduction in prevalence rates has reflected in mortality rates recorded over the years.

Statistics by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that 16,000 people died of malaria in 2016, representing a 23 per cent drop from 2015 when some 20,691 cases of death were reported.

Five years ago in 2012, malaria killed some 24,772 people in Kenya, the data further showed, reflecting the massive progress in the fight against the disease.

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Despite the progress, the vector-borne disease still ranks second after pneumonia as a leading cause of death in the country and is followed closely by cancer in third position.

The Health ministry and the WHO have stepped up interventions to limit the spread of malaria in high-risk counties.

In April, Health secretary Cleopa Mailu said about 15 million long-lasting treated mosquito nets would be distributed for free in 23 counties to curb malaria.

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The mosquito nets, which have an electrostatic coating, can carry higher doses of insecticide and have been identified as remedy for the insecticide-resistant mosquitoes. 

“The government of Kenya, in conjunction with various partners, will this year distribute over 15 million long-lasting treated mosquito nets to combat the spread of malaria in the country,” Dr Mailu said during this year’s World Malaria Day celebrations in Narok County.

The distribution of bed nets has, since 2011, been extended to cover entire population unlike previously.

Beginning 2006, the distribution of insecticide treated bed nets in high-risk areas was limited to pregnant women and children under the age of five years, the two populations that are at the highest risk of contracting the disease.