Elgeyo Marakwet Steps Up Malaria Fight in Kerio Valley

 

The Department of Health Services has intensified malaria prevention and control efforts along the Kerio Valley, a region prone to frequent outbreaks.

Chief Officer for Preventive and Promotive Health Services, Caroline Magut, said the campaign targets all households in the valley with indoor residual spraying and larviciding of stagnant water, which are breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

“When indoor residual spraying is done, it provides a guarantee that mosquitoes and other crawling insects are killed within the household for a whole year,” Ms. Magut explained, noting that the insecticide remains effective on walls and ceilings for 12 months.

The exercise has so far been rolled out in Endo Ward, Lower Sambirir, Arror, Lower Emsoo, Lower Tambach, Soy North, and Soy South, with spraying aimed at eliminating adult mosquitoes while larviciding destroys larvae, disrupting the mosquito cycle.

Health officials say the measures will drastically reduce the malaria burden across the county and sustain protection for a year.

Ms. Magut commended Public Health Officers and Community Health Promoters (CHPs) for their role in driving the campaign, emphasizing that their efforts are critical to strengthening primary healthcare and safeguarding residents from malaria.

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