World ’ s Deadliest Malaria Parasite Dominance in Africa Could Be Over – Experts

A child health consultation at Obunga Dispensary in Homa Bay, one of the eight counties participating in the malaria vaccine pilot program. Credit: Joyce Chimbi/IPSBy Joyce ChimbiNairobi, Kenya, Oct 25 2021 (IPS) One morning in 2016, Lillian Nekesa’s 3-year-old woke up with flu-like classic symptoms of malaria. This was not Kevin’s first encounter with the killer disease. Kevin was nonetheless not immediately rushed to Busia County Referral Hospital for advanced treatment in keeping with his severe symptoms. Nekesa rushed him to a village dispensary because the referral hospital is an hour’s walk away from their home in Mayenje, Busia County. “Two days went by, and Kevin did not improve, and by the time we got him to the referral hospital, it was too late,” she recounts. This is not an isolated incidence, says Desmond Wanjala, one of 10 Community Health Volunteers serving a Community Health Unit of 1,000 households in the area. He says malaria is commonplace in Busia, situated near the Lake Victoria region. Malaria incidence in Busia is six times higher than the national average of 5.6 %. Government estimates further show that counties around the lake region bear the highest malaria disease burden, with a prevalence rate of 19 %. “Over 70 % of the population in Busia is at risk of malaria, and help is not always within reach, especially in emergencies. We are deep in the village, and the main mode of transport to the referral hospital is a...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Africa COVID-19 Development & Aid Featured Headlines Health Human Rights Inequity TerraViva United Nations ​#Health​ #MalariaVaccine Kenya Source Type: news