Malaria is no longer the threat it once was for people living in Kenya, and even for those traveling to Kenya, especially for tourism, the chances of contracting it are minimal. This has been confirmed by the Kenyan Ministry of Health and by cases reported by Kenyan hospitals and clinics that treat foreigners.The Department of State for Public Health and Professional Standards recently announced that Kenya has reduced the prevalence of malaria by 60% over the last ten years and that the number of new cases has also fallen significantly. In addition, it should be noted that most cases are confined to the Lake Victoria region and rural and remote areas of the country. On the coast, for example, the reduction rates are even higher. In addition to climate change (at least something good is coming from that...), the reduction is due to the two-year implementation plan for malaria elimination in Kenya, which began in 2021 and outlined the path for implementing malaria elimination activities in the country.Now in its second two-year cycle, the plan aims to reduce the burden of malaria in the country and contribute to the global goal of eliminating malaria by 2030. Kenya's efforts, together with those of Ghana and Malawi, have also led to the approval of a malaria vaccine for large-scale deployment, which was launched in Kenya two years ago, benefiting children and vulnerable people.The Ministry of Health has also distributed over 18 million long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets in 28 selected counties over the past two years, with the goal of ensuring that households in malaria-prone areas have one mosquito net for every two family members. It is good that this has been done in the recent past, because the new cuts by the Trump administration, including in the health sector, have blocked prevention, and the government does not have the resources to continue with the strategic plan. However, this (unfortunately) mainly affects the local population. For those coming to Kenya, especially on vacation, visiting the coast and safari areas, it is important to know that, while preventive care has not been improved, treatment is available if malaria symptoms appear, and Coartem, an artemisinin-based drug (a synthetic derivative of the artemisia annua plant), has been joined by other drugs.The best thing for hypochondriacs, those with young children, the anxious and the cautious is to buy a ‘kit’, which contains Coartem or a similar drug, a follow-up medicine and a slide to check for malaria in the blood (with a fever of at least 37.5°C).The important thing, as we have been repeating for years, is to avoid antimalarial prophylaxis, which, although still recommended in Italy by doctors who are unfamiliar with Kenya or have outdated information and prefer to ‘cover their backs’, is now outdated and also unhealthy.
(Image: Baz Ratner/Reuters)