By Okong’o Oduya
Busia County, Kenya: As governments all over the world continue battling with corona virus, Busia County is fighting myriad challenges including floods, covid-19 related cases and the second most notorious killer disease in the world, Malaria.
Covid-19 has also brought another challenge, people are hesitant to seek medical services.
Cecilia Anyango a resident of Bukhayo west in Busia was forced to go over the counter to buy drugs for Malaria. The mother of two confided that she feared with high temperatures her condition could be mistaken with coronavirus that could lead her to be quarantined.
“Few days ago, I was forced to buy medicine from the chemist nearby. I was not feeling well. My body was weak, and I had high temperatures. I didn’t want to go to the hospital because I feared with high temperatures my condition could have been mistaken to be corona. I didn’t want to imagine I am being quarantine,” she said.
Nancy Atieno from Bukhoba in Budalangi Sub- County narrates how she could not go to the hospital because she feared she could be subjected to coronavirus testing.
In an interview Atieno says that despite being pregnant, weak and displaced by floods and without money she could not afford to go for treatment. “My body is paining everywhere, I feel so tired and where we are it is tough life, you don’t know if should take care of myself of coronavirus or malaria,” she revealed.
Atieno and Anyango’s cases are among the many suspected malaria cases that have gone unreported in Busia during this period of coronavirus.
When the coronavirus was announced in Kenya early this year, both National and County Governments in the country redirected all its attention in dealing with coronavirus patients, while patients suffering from other diseases such as malaria got little or no attention at all.
With less than 20 reported new coronavirus cases in Busia, the County allocated ksh103M to fight the disease, while in 2019/2020 financial year the county government of Busia set aside only ksh5M towards fighting malaria, way below comparing with deaths caused by malaria.
Dr. Isaac Omeri the Chief officer in the department of Health Busia County, says malaria cases have been on rise in the county especially during this rainy season adding that mosquitos find a conducive environment to breed during the rainy season.
A report released by Kenya Health Information System (KHIS) in Busia revealed that the number of patients treated of malaria using Artemether –Lumefantrine (ALS) in County in the last six month stands at 221,673 of whom 3,331 were pregnant women.
This is a confirmation that Busia County is one of the counties in Kenya that reports high number of malaria cases among the women and children below the age of 5 years. The county was among the 8 other counties in Kenya that were selected for pilot program of vaccines against malaria.
Other counties included Homa Bay, Kisumu, Migori, Siaya, Bungoma, Vihiga and Kakamega.
“Busia county and other neighboring counties was selected to help conduct malaria immunization and as we speak in Busia the process is going on well. In normal cases there are four doses that a child requires until the age of 24 months.”
So far we have managed to immunize 5,313 on first dose at six months, second dose of 5,857 children at stage of seven months and third dose of 4,555 at age of 9 months,” Said Omeri.
As he says Busia County is facing challenges in combating malaria after a number of partners such as PS Kenya withdrew their services, adding that these organizations played a big role in fighting the disease in providing medicine to treat malaria and mosquito nets.
“Despite the challenges we are facing in combating the disease there are tremendous steps we have made. we scaled up insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs), indoor residual spraying with insecticides (IRS), and appropriate diagnosis and treatment using artemisinin-based combination therapies, but when some of our partners withdrew their services in malaria fight, we have to admit we need a lot to be done from the government,” he explained.
World Health Organization reveals Malaria claims the life of one child every two minutes in Kenya.
Moses Mulomi, deputy governor and acting CEC Member in the department of health in Busia says more than 40,000 people living in camps after they were displaced by floods are in dare need of help in fighting malaria adding that the environment they are living in makes them more vulnerable to the disease.
“Although there is a challenge in fighting malaria in the county due to lack of enough resources after some of partners withdrew their services, there is a need for people to continue sleeping under treated mosquito nets during this rainy season especially those in camps to reduce malaria infections.
From our side and other well wishers we are doing our best, not just by giving them foodstuff and clean water, we are giving them mosquito nets to reduce cases of malaria infections,” Mulomi added.
Lack of enough screened blood in the county referral blood bank is also worrying. Mulomi says the national government needs to put measures in place to address the issue of blood scarcity in the country.
He said malaria victims require blood but with current scarcity being witnessed it makes it hard for the county to address the situation.
“When malaria attacks young children it attacks blood reserve, affecting them severely leading to premature death,and with little or no blood in our blood bank is worrying,” said Mulomi.
Mulomi says despite the effort government is doing to curb it, malaria prevalence in Busia has remained high, adding that up to 27% among children aged less than 5 years are vulnerable to malaria.
Between January and April 2020 Busia County recorded 1,331 malaria related cases, with 657 being children below the age of five years.
According to Dr. Anyango Olouch,Busia County Malaria Control Coodinator, Busia County Referral Hospital reported high number of malaria related cases by 277, followed by Nambale Sub- County hospital with 244 , Kocholia Sub – County hospital in Teso North came third with 215 cases, Khunyangu Sub- County hospital in Butula recorded 188, Alupe Sub- County hospital in Teso South reported 195 , Port Victoria sub County hospital in Bunyala and Sio- port hospital in Funyula recorded 139 and 73 malaria related cases respectively.
Oluoch further revealed that within the same period Busia reported 35 malaria related deaths where 15 were those under the age of five years and 20 were above 5 years.
Reports by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics revealed that malaria is still the second biggest cause of reported deaths in the country after respiratory infections, with nearly 70 percent of the Kenya’s population.
Center for Disease Control (CDC) is currently carrying out trials on Malaria that aims to improve our understanding of malaria and yield better methods for fighting the disease.
“The research that is going on in Matayos, Teso North and Teso South in Busia County in collaboration with other institutions will provide insights in mechanisms of transmission and host responses.
There are other organizations such as center for disease control are conducting research in getting a long lasting on malaria problem in Matayos, Teso North and Teso South.” He noted.
Kenya is one of three countries selected from among 10 African countries for the phased introduction of RTS,S following a request by WHO for expressions of interest. Key criteria for selection included well-functioning malaria and immunization programmes and areas with moderate to high malaria transmission.
