- Title: KENYA: Rapid diagnostic kits boost malaria control in Kenya
- Date: 24th April 2013
- Summary: TURKANA, KENYA (RECENT) (REUTERS) TURKANA RESIDENTS SEATED AT MALARIA AWARENESS TALK VARIOUS OF LAWRENCE KORIR, NURSE TALKING TO RESIDENTS ABOUT MALARIA RAPID DIAGNOSTIC KIT VARIOUS OF VERONICA ESINYEN, MOTHER AND HER BABY HAVING MALARIA TEST DONE VARIOUS OF MALARIA RAPID DIAGNOSTIC KIT SHOWING NEGATIVE RESULT SOUNDBITE (English) LAWRENCE KORIR, NURSE SAYING: "There are tw
- Embargoed: 9th May 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Kenya
- Country: Kenya
- Topics: Health,People
- Reuters ID: LVAEM7IME7TYN2MS8356SS7PNQV0
- Story Text: Residents of Kenya's northern Turkana county gather at a village square to learn more about malaria as part of activities to mark the World Malaria Day, which will be celebrated on April 25.
Malaria is endemic in Kenya and is among one of the leading causes of outpatient hospital attendance in some parts of the country according to the UN.
Lawrence Korir is a government nurse who regularly goes out to educate people here about the disease and conducts malaria tests using the newly introduced rapid diagnostic test kits or RDTs.
The portable kits were launched in the country last year as part of a government policy on universal diagnosis of malaria for Kenyans of all ages living across the country.
So far health workers say they are proving to be useful, particularly in remote areas where access to laboratory facilities remains a challenge.
It is hoped that they will also discourage cases of self medication in the country.
Veronica Esinyen has brought her baby for a test. He is running a high fever and she suspects he may have contracted malaria.
A blood sample is drawn and placed on the test kit slot. A buffer solution is then added and a few minutes later, the kit gives a reading.
"There are two demarcation lines; there is a control and the test. When both lines are seen, it confirms that the client has malaria and that is the time you will give them malaria tablets," said Korir.
The result turns out negative, as only one line appears on the test kit, so Veronica's baby is referred to the nearest general hospital for more tests.
"The doctor says that the baby does not have malaria but his temperature is still high. My baby is vomiting, and also has diarrhoea so I will take him to hospital for further examination," she said.
About 8 million kits have already been distributed with another 11 million expected to be rolled out in 2013.
Over the years, the government has introduced control measures such as insecticide-treated bednets, indoor spraying and anti-malaria drugs to help cut malaria cases and deaths, but experts say an effective vaccine could be a vital tool in eradicating the disease.
Turkana is among Kenya's poorest regions and is home to semi-nomadic pastoralists.
The warm climate here has created an environment conducive for the breeding of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, exposing residents who don't use bed nets to vector-borne diseases.
At the nearest health facility located 20 kilometers away, Maureen Etaan, a clinical officer is examining a patient whose been admitted.
She says there has been a significant drop in Malaria cases seen at the facility since the test kits were introduced.
"We don't get severe cases of malaria because it is being managed at that level health center and dispensaries. Most of the cases now we get, complicated cases of malaria are reduced, the admission rate of malaria is also reduced which was a bit high in the other years," she said.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) malaria mortality rates have fallen by more than 25 percent since 2000, and 50 of the 99 countries with ongoing transmission are now on track to meet the 2015 World Health Assembly target of reducing incidence rates by more than 75 percent.
Africa accounts for the vast majority of the well over half a million annual deaths globally, caused by the disease, so WHO is calling on governments to show more political will for malaria prevention and control by supporting measures like early accurate diagnosis.
Testing in much of Africa has previously been done through microscopy in large health facilities.
Researchers say RDT kits are much easier to use because they don't require electricity or expensive reagents for malaria diagnosis. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None