Kenyan Government Should Declare Malaria National Disaster, Medical Experts Say
Medical experts at a recent meeting hosted by the Kenya NGO Alliance Against Malaria called on the government to declare malaria a national disaster in the country, the Nation/AllAfrica.com reports. The move would require the government to allocate increased funding for malaria prevention and treatment measures, according to the experts. Willis Akhwale, head of the Ministry of Health's malaria control program, said that Kenya needs 6 billion shillings, or about $89 million, annually to control malaria effectively . Akhwale said that the government has raised 4 billion shillings, or about $59 million, during this fiscal year to combat the disease. The "challenge, therefore, remains on the government" to come up with "more funding to fight the killer disease," he said.
Other experts at the meeting said that the number of malaria cases likely will increase in Kenya because of improper land use and climate change. Kenaam CEO Gerald Mwangi said member organizations are committed to working with the health ministry to fight malaria. According to Akhwale, the government during the last three months disbursed 112 million shillings, or about $1.6 million, to nongovernmental organizations working to control the spread of malaria. He added that the funding was provided by the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. About 20 million people in Kenya are regularly at risk of contracting malaria, according to Akhwale (Mwaniki, Nation/AllAfrica.com, 5/10).
