Joint efforts needed to control malaria infections

The rising number of malaria cases in Elgeyo Marakwet paints a picture of a county losing fight against the world's greatest killer.

That there were 1,500 recorded cases in January alone in the county shows how much government effort is needed to counter the disease.

The government needs to increase health facilities in malaria stricken areas and equip them to handle the increasing malaria cases.

Hospitals need more capacity in order to handle infected patients more efficiently.The government should also invest more in health, specifically to handle rising cases of malaria.

Among the new approaches to eradicate malaria is the mass drug administration. This involves giving a full dose of anti-malarial drugs to everybody in a given area, irrespective of whether they have symptoms of malaria or not. It also involves dispatching medical personnel to malaria hot spots.

In the long run, prevention is more cost effective than treatment. The government should continue dispatching insecticide-treated nets to reduce infection rates.

Indoor residual spraying and use of insecticide treated nets have proven to be effective in preventing malaria. Research has shown that malaria is a cause of poverty and also a major hindrance to economic development.

Eliminating malaria will go a long way to boost the Kenyan economy. Malaria was once common in the US and Southern Europe, but vector control programmes accompanied by the monitoring and treatment of infected persons eliminated the disease in these regions.

The government must increase its funding to anti-malarial campaigns to eliminate malaria in our country! 

Gideon Mulinge, Makueni