The government of Kenya in collaboration with development partners has introduced the use of drones to curb malaria prevalence in Busia County.
A team of professionals spearheading the fight against Malaria said drones will be deployed in spraying Mosquito breeding sites to control the Malaria morbidity in the County.
Dr Willis Akhwale, a member of the End Malaria Council said the Council has managed to get resources to support widespread spraying using drones in the County.
Speaking during the launch of the new technology at Akiriamasit village in Teso North Sub County on Thursday, Dr Akhwale said that Busia County has the highest malaria burden in the country.
“We know you have huge breeding sites and people cannot easily reach to apply larvicide to kill mosquitoes at the breeding sites,” he said.
The chairman of the End Malaria Council Christopher Gitonga said that malaria prevalence in Teso North Sub County is 39 percent.
“Within this village, if we carry a sample malaria test on 200 people, 20 percent of them will be malaria positive,” Gitonga said.
Gitonga added that the government will work together with the Ugandan leadership to ensure that they fight the spread of malaria on both sides of the border.
Lilian Amaase, the nurse in charge of Akiriamasit Dispensary said they receive malaria positive patients from Teso North, South and Uganda.
Amaase stated that the health facility attends to between 200 to 300 patients on a monthly basis with the prevalence rate standing at 39 percent.
July Odikor, a Community Health Volunteer in the area said that malaria prevalence has been a challenge to the locals due to frequent flooding.
“As CHVs, we have a challenge because our clients adhere to medical prescription and use mosquito nets but we find that they still suffer from malaria,” she said adding the drone technology will greatly help reduce their workload.
Drone technology is an initiative by the End Malaria Council to fight malaria through widespread spaying of mosquito breeding places in malaria endemic areas.
The Council was established by President Uhuru Kenyatta in July last year and it is working closely with the malaria youth army who help in sensitizing the local residents on malaria prevention.