Pneumonia has overtaken malaria as the leading cause of child sickness and death in Kenya.
A report by the Health ministry shows that pneumonia accounts for 16 per cent of the deaths among underfives. Even though there was a decline in death rate last year, the country was unable to reach its child health targets.
Deaths among under fives dropped from 114 to 52 deaths per 1,000 live births. The neonatal mortality rate has decreased at a slower rate and currently stands at 22 deaths per 1,000 live births.
“While the Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2014 shows that both infant mortality and underfive mortality have steadily decreased, there has only been minimal improvement of other key indicators for child health, including the percentage of children fully vaccinated ( 77 per cent) and stunting at 26 per cent,” it says.
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Malaria was the leading cause in 2012, followed by pneumonia. This changed from 2015, as pneumonia took the lead, followed by malaria, HIV and tuberculosis.
The same trend was recorded in 2016, with pneumonia leading with 11 per cent, malaria and cancer at eight per cent, HIV at five per cent, anaemia with four per cent and heart disease at three per cent. Other leading causes last year were asphyxia/trauma ( 13 per cent), diarrhoea and prematurity ( 11 per cent), sepsis (eight), injuries (seven per cent), HIV (four per cent) and other noncommunicable diseases ( 26 per cent).
Malaria rates reduced by four per cent. “Kenya has put in place systems that support the delivery of evidence-based, high-impact interventions, including antibiotic treatment for pneumonia, combined uptake of ORS and Zinc for management of diarrhoea, and immunisation against vaccine preventable diseases, including pneumonia and measles,” the report says.
Kenya was among the first African countries to introduce PCV, and the first low-income country to use the 10-valent vaccine. Today, newborns receive the vaccine in three doses at Six, 10 and 14 weeks.
The ministry says optimal realisation of child health is hampered by variations in coverage, equity and quality of care across the country.
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