[Kenya] Alert as malaria hits refugee camp

from The Standard

By Stephen Makabila

More than 10,000 malaria cases were reported at Kakuma refugee camp last month.

The camp’s International Rescue Committee (IRC) acting medical co-ordinator and head of curative services, Dr Vincent Kahi, said the disease had hit more than 10,000 refugees by last month from the previous 4,000 cases reported monthly.

Kahi said the increase had put IRC on alert for an outbreak and that measures were being taken to deal with any eventuality.

"We link the increase in the cases of malaria to the recent rains in this part of the country, which is normally dry," said Kahi.

"The problem is that we spray the houses and offer mosquito nets to children and pregnant women, but people sleep outside their houses due to hot weather."

Kahi said IRC currently runs a 120-bed hospital at the camp and four satellite clinics, which operate as health centres. He was speaking when the Rift Valley Provincial medical officer, Dr Ambrose Misore, visited the camp to assess the health situation.

The camp located in Turkana District hosts about 92,000 refugees from Southern Sudan and Somalia. Kahi said other common diseases include cholera, malnutrition and diarrhoea. Cholera, he said, had claimed two lives so far and that out of 53 suspected cases, 13 ha been confirmed.

He said ICR had sunk boreholes at the camp and increased the number of pit latrines to reduce cases of cholera.

"Cases of measles have also been there and last December, 12,000 children under the age of five years were immunised," said Kahi.

Misore said the Ministry of Health was monitoring the various diseases affecting refugees at the camp. He said the Government would from July 1, launch a measles immunisation campaign in Turkana District.