How Homa Bay is winning the war on deadly malaria
US President Malaria Initiative healthworkers prepare to conduct indoor residual spraying at a homestead in Disii village, Homa Bay County.
What you need to know:
- Last year, the county sprayed nine out of 10 structures considered malaria-prone.
About six million nets have been distributed across eight counties since 2021, protecting 11 million people.
Homa Bay County has made the most progress in eradicating malaria in the country, according to the Ministry of Health.
Malaria cases in Homa Bay fell from 39 per cent in 2019 to three per cent this year.
Speaking at Pawteng Primary School in Kisumu ahead of the World Malaria Day on Thursday, Dr Kibor Keitany – the head of the Malaria Control Programme at the Ministry of Health – urged other regions to follow the example of the Homa Bay “magic”.
Last year, the county sprayed nine out of 10 structures considered malaria-prone.
Dr Keitany added that Homa Bay has “religiously” worked to eliminate the disease with guidance from the Kenya Malaria Strategy 2021-23.
“Homa Bay has shown that programme management, which is all about strategic planning, partnership coordination and resource mobilisation, is a vital component as we work towards eliminating the disease,” he said.
“Recently, Cape Verde was certified malaria-free by the World Health Organisation.”
The Homa Bay devolved government has established systems and structures for implementing malaria elimination strategies, surveillance and operational research.
“The rollout of the malaria vaccine in high-endemic counties, including Homa Bay, has helped reduce the number of hospitalisations for children under five,” he said.
“Notable achievements include the scaled implementation of RTS and S vaccine pilots in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, which reached up to 900,000 children.”
About six million nets have been distributed across eight counties since 2021, protecting 11 million people.
Dr Keitany noted that training 521 retail outlet healthworkers on case management has realised results.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, recently said the ultimate goal is to reduce the number of people contracting and dying from disease.
“It requires a focus on research and leveraging on available evidence to ensure our targeted interventions are an efficient use of resources and produce measurable results,” Dr Moeti said.
“Despite slowing progress in reducing malaria cases and deaths and the disruptions to health services caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are still much further ahead than in 2000. We need to reignite that momentum and build on the recent advances.”
This is why Kenya has been so focused on eliminating the disease.
“We have completed a review of the Kenya Malaria Policy. More than 180 county and sub-county health team members have been trained on eliminating the disease,” Dr Keitany said.
“Malaria incidence was reduced by seven per cent to 104 cases per 1,000 people in 2023, compared to 113 cases per 1,000 people in 2016. The mortality rate declined by 32 per cent from 2.2 in 2019 to 1.5 deaths per 100,000 population in 2023.”
During the period of the ministry’s strategic plan (2018-23), the incidence of malaria was 86, 96, 83, 94, and 105 per 1000 population in 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23 respectively.
According to Dr Keitany, the trend is similar to what has been observed worldwide.
“Disruption of access to services during Covid-19 deferred implementing of key interventions like distribution of treated nets,” he said.
Despite the gains, Kenya still faces many challenges as it strives to eliminate the deadly illness.
They include gaps in prevention and treatment coverage due to limited financing.
“The potential threat of insecticide and drug resistance, coupled with gene deletion is rendering rapid tests ineffective,” Dr Keitany said.
“We have also noted the presence of more invasive vector species adaptable to a wide range of ecological settings.”
