Kenya’s malaria treatment comes home
Wtest positive, and refer complicated cases hen it rains in Emusala village, a person to the nearest health centre. sick with a fever can find it hard to get to “.In case of any complication, all I the nearest health centre, which requires need is to have power on my mobile a trip along the slippery footpaths that phone so that I can communicate lead to the nearest main road some 10 with medical experts using the tollkm away, in the heart of Western Kenya’s free number for further advice,” said Kakamega County. Akhonya, one of the volunteers. But if the fever spells the onset of According to Moses Makokha, malaria, rapid diagnosis and treatment clinical officer in charge of the are essential. Bumala-A sub-county health centre in
That’s where Nicholas Akhonya Busia County, some malaria cases can comes in. With the aid of a simple be fatal little more than 24 hours after medical kit and his mobile phone, symptoms occur, especially in children Akhonya, a trained community health below the age of five years and pregnant volunteer, is able to diagnose villagers women. with malaria in their own homes, offer In pregnant women, malaria can treatment, and refer acute cases and lead to miscarriage or other serious pregnant women to health facilities for complications, Makokha said. specialised care. “It is always an easy disease to manage
Malaria cases are on the increase in — but only if it is identified at the onset Kenya, and experts attribute the upsurge of the fever and treated immediately to changes in the climate. using the correct medication,” Makokha According to Dr James said.Emisiko, coordinator for the Division of Vector patients are, malaria-positive cases Kakamega County’s government Borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases (are) treated and all complicated cases has trained 4,200 community health in Kakamega County, mosquitoes breed referred to nearby health centres,” the volunteers to manage simple malaria, particularly well in stagnant water in doctor said. working with Community Asset warm temperatures. To tackle the problem, for the past Building and Development (CABDA),
The females feed on human blood two years, county governments in a local NGO, and with support from in order to produce eggs, and if a malaria-prone areas have worked with Amref Health Africa, an international mosquito carrying the malaria-causing non-governmental organisations to Kenyan medical charity headquartered plasmodium parasite bites a person, it is train community health volunteers to in Nairobi. likely to infect them. diagnose the disease in patients’ homes, The volunteers are supplied with test
Kenya’s recent drought followed by using rapid diagnostic kits. kits and basic drugs to treat the disease sporadic rainfall in the middle of this The volunteers then treat those who at no cost to patients. year has created a perfect breeding environment for mosquitoes, Emisiko said
e result is an upsurge of malaria cases, especially in the Western Kenya region and around Lake Victoria.
“The only way to control deaths from this life-threatening disease is to ensure all fever cases are tested wherever the