Don’t shun hospitals, malaria patients told

Patients with malaria-like symptoms such as fever have been asked to avoid self-medicating during this Covid-19 season.

This came as coronavirus cases rose by 246, pushing the national tally to 32,803.

Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman Tuesday said the number of patients seeking treatment for malaria has decreased by two thirds or 67 per cent from 300,000 to just 100,000 visits per week.

He attributed this to self-medication — purchasing medicine over the counter instead of seeking care in a health facility.

Dr Aman cautioned against the move, saying scientists have not yet discovered how the two diseases interact while in the body,  and that should they have a life threatening effect, it would be better to be within a health facility.

He acknowledged the fear of going to hospitals, adding that coronavirus has put pressure on health systems and thus affected service delivery, resulting in more waiting time.

He said some people fear that they will be tested for Covid-19 once they report having fever, which is also a symptom of the virus.  “A majority of Kenyans have shied away from health facilities because they fear they will get tested for Covid-19, and a positive result comes with a lot of stigma in the current scenario,” he said.

Others, he said, think they will be infected when they visit health facilities for treatment.

“All these are misinformed notions because the majority of patients who fail to seek treatment end up developing severe malaria, which could cause serious complications or even kill them if they delay to get proper medical attention,” said Dr Aman.

Prior to the pandemic, he said, the National Malaria Control Programme was testing at least five million Kenyans annually for malaria, and there is a likelihood that the government may not meet that target this year due to Covid-19.

Meanwhile, Covid-19 had killed 559 people as of yesterday, according to data from the Ministry of Health.

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