A total of 154,000 households in Migori County are set to benefit from Malaria Indoor Residual Spray Activity aimed that eradicating malaria in the county.
Dr. Mildred Sishia who works with President’s Malaria Initiative funded by the US government and implemented by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) said that they would collaborate with the National Malaria Programme to fight malaria in the country.
Dr Sishia noted that the launch of the Indoor Residual Spray Activity in the country was one of the key vector control tools to eradicate malaria.
The official pointed out that the activity would help prevent and protect pregnant women and children under the age of five from malaria.
Last year the Indoor Residual Spray Activity programme protected 100,000 children and 16,000 pregnant women in Migori.
She disclosed that they have engaged over 2,000 community health workers across the county to help with the exercise to ensure all 154,000 households are reached.
Sishia said that on an annual basis, the Malaria Indoor Residual Spray Activity protects close to 800,000 people in targeted spray zones.
National Division for Malaria Programme official Ishmael Abieh explained that they have been mandated to coordinate all related Malaria activities in the country to save the lives of pregnant women and children.
Ishmael said that the country has managed to reduce the Malaria burden from 38 percent in 2017 to 21 percent in 2023.
Due to the high transmission of Malaria in Kuria Sub Counties, Ishmael noted that more interventions including lava management sources, upscaling of the Malaria vaccine and usage of special mosquito nets would be used to eradicate malaria.
Migori Deputy Governor Dr. Joseph Mahiri said that the county transmission rate of malaria had dropped from 38 percent in 2017 to 8 percent in 2023.
He demystified the notion that the Malaria Indoor Residual Spray Activity has negative health effects saying that the project is a health programme that would further reduce the prevalence of malaria in the county.
He urged the local administration to work with the community health workers and volunteers to ensure that 154,000 households are reached by the programme.
The Indoor Residual Spray Activity will run until April 1 this year to ensure that many households are covered in eradicating malaria.
By Geoffrey Makokha
