Reckitt Benckiser (RB) East Africa has reiterated its commitment to the fight against malaria which continues to be a major health problem in the Kenya.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), over 3.4 billion people globally are at risk of being infected with malaria with the Sub-Sahara African being at higher risk. Sub-Sahara Africa carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden with the region being home to 93% of malaria cases and 94% of global malaria deaths.
In Kenya, more than four million cases of malaria are reported annually with a 5.1% mortality rate being reported among patients admitted with severe malaria according to the World Malaria Report 2018
Kenya has however made tremendous efforts in the fight against the disease in the past few years with statistics showing that the country registered a 47% reduction in the number of malaria cases between 2015 and 2018.
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The weatherman this week warned Kenyans to brace for heavy downpour in the next couple of days.
According to the weatherman, the heavy rain currently being experienced is expected to continue in Western, central region including Nairobi area, North Eastern, North Western and Coastal region of Kenya.
Commenting on this, RB East Africa Country Manager Sachin Varma, stated that, the rainy season are the riskiest especially to mothers and children below five years and thus we encourage them to use insecticides and treated nets during this #StayAtHome period.
“It is worth noting that over the past decade, Kenya has made tremendous progress against malaria as a result of the sound policies, evidence based strategies as well as strong partnerships among stakeholders in the malaria community both local and international,” said Mr. Varma.
He also warned against relaxation of anti-malarial efforts in the country during this period of the Coronavirus pandemic saying that in as much as the world is focused on the new disease, malaria still remains a big threat to public health.
“Despite this commendable progress, malaria still remains one of the major health problems in Kenya as is the case in other Sub-Sahara African countries. It is therefore imperative that even as the World fights to control and eradicate the coronavirus, efforts against malaria must be sustained, we should ensure that we put more emphasis on prevention through sleeping under treated mosquito nets, clearing of bushes and draining stagnant water around our residences. malaria can be controlled through driving public educational initiatives that reinforce the message that Malaria is preventable and treatable,” he added.
One of the key strategies of malaria control is the application of various vector control measures such as encouraging the use of treated mosquito nets and spraying to kill the mosquitoes.
RB East Africa, Mortein Doom insecticide and other hygiene products have been at the forefront of promoting health among Kenyans through promotion of initiatives geared at prevention of diseases.
This has been done through engaging in various partnerships and projects with the aim of reducing the rate of infections in the country and thus reducing the mortality rate of children under the age of five as well as pregnant mothers.
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