According to CAS Dr. Rashid Aman the national burden of malaria has reduced by 50% in the last decade, from 11% in 2010 to 6% in 2020.
In the Western region, the burden has reduced from 38% in 2010 to 19% in 2020, and in Kakamega specifically, the burden is down to 15.2%.
“This demonstrates great progress in the malaria prevention & control efforts, & is evidence of the strong collaboration between the global malaria community, MOH, development partners in health, County Governments & communities which is where the action happens, said Dr. Aman.
The CAS said the Ministry of Health has prioritized the fight against malaria through increased resource allocation for malaria. In this financial year, the ministry has over & above the resources allocated by the treasury to fight malaria, allocated a further Ksh 800m to boost the fight.
“We have enhanced partnerships for malaria control and we are continuing to work with the Global Fund to fight HIV, TB, and Malaria. USAID is also supporting us, especially in the procurement of malaria prevention, diagnosis, and treatment commodities,” the CAS said.
The global theme for World Malaria Day 2022 is ‘Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives’. The national slogan is “Tumalize malaria, Tuimarishe Jamii, na Usawa kuwa wote”
Kakamega County is one of the eight malaria lake endemic Counties where the burden of malaria is highest in the Country. Despite the high malaria prevalence in this region at 19%, there has been a significant drop in the malaria disease burden which was at 27% in 2015.
Last year, Kakamega region reported a total of 3.2 million confirmed malaria cases which represent 75 percent of all cases nationally.
In the year 2021 in collaboration with Counties, the ministry distributed 16 million insecticidal nets, with Kakamega county receiving 1.4 million nets.
“In addition to net distribution, the government recognizes the need to diversify preventive measures to ensure that we tackle the malaria disease through various interventions,” said Dr. Aman.
The Cuban Malaria Vector Control expert deployed to Kakamega County is part of the Kenya-Cuba Malaria Vector Control Project that was launched by His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta in Kilifi County last year.
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