We can eradicate malaria in one or two generations

The renowned Swiss physician and alchemist Paracelsus famously said that “All things are poison, and nothing is without poison, the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison.” And it is true – even water, the most basic substance for life, can kill if one has too much in too short a time of it.

Another example of this, are insects. While they are easy to overlook, they are constant companions of our daily lives. And they play important roles, too. Some insects pollinate plants, while others dispose of huge amounts of organic waste, and in turn, become sources of nourishment for bigger animals, like chicken, which we can then eat. They are one of the most basic blocks of our food chain. That’s why scientists the world over are worried about the prospect of the extinction of the insects as a result of climate change. It could, indeed, have dire consequences for our food chain, and in general, life on earth.

Yet, these seem like distant and theoretical musings for us here in Kenya today. We are plagued by too many insects of very specific kinds! All of Eastern Africa is right now struggling with immense hordes of locusts which threaten to devour all agricultural output of this season. Their appetite seems insatiable.

We are also continuing the fight against malaria and the host which transmits the vile virus, mosquitoes. The prevalence rate still stands at a staggering 27% in Kenya. But wherever one looks, progress is being made. From little steps which prevent the formation of puddles by improving infrastructure, to pushing to host pilots of malaria vaccination, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government pushed in every direction to improve the lives of Kenyans all over the country.

Just recently, a new initiative saw the light of day. Using his diplomatic skills, Kenyatta garnered American support for a new ploy to fight malaria. In fact, he has secured the use of new, third generation insecticides being used in a method called IRS, which stands for Indoor Residual Spraying. This new programme is a co-operation between our Ministry of Health and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). By using the newest technologies, rural areas in particular should feel relief and a decrease in malaria patients soon.

All these efforts are part of a bigger masterplan. Ever since the beginning of his second term, Kenyatta is working tirelessly on his flagship program, the Big Four. One of its components focusses on health, as the President understands that a healthy nation is the condicio sine qua non for the future development and prosperity of Kenya. But universal health coverage is expensive, and in general it is more difficult to deal with a problem than to simply prevent it from the beginning. 

Thus, every shilling we spend on prevention will pay off three or four times. Prevention of wide-spread diseases like malaria through methods such as the IRS are the best investment we can make into the healthcare of our future.

In combination with the initiatives that promote malaria vaccination which the President has started in the past year together with the World Health Organisation for children under two years old, it is posited that we can achieve the goal of eradicating malaria in one or two generations.

Thus, the situation of our health care system is improving constantly, through bold leadership and strategic vision and with the help of some friendly nations. Especially in tumultuous political times, where it seems that just too many leaders are focussing on their own, personal future instead of on our country’s future, we can’t let the big goals out of our sight.

It is more important now than ever to continue to fight for a better Kenyan future with the same vigour as President Kenyatta has been doing in the past few years. The stakes are just too high: The egos of politicians will disappear in due time, just as the locust plague will, but we, our children, and our grand-children will still be here.