Mandera Health department has rolled out a two-week indoor residual spraying on mosquitoes in the war on malaria and dengue fever.
Hundreds of residents have been diagnosed with the two killer diseases. Malaria is a life-threatening disease transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. Dengue fever is a painful, devastating disease. The viral infection is also transmitted by mosquitos.
Malaria infections were higher in Mandera town from April last year to January. This coincided with the long rains. The launch of the preventive drive comes early ahead of the upcoming long rains.
Executive Mohamed Eda yesterday said they target 29,000 households. The programme will also cover schools, hospitals and government institutions.
Dr Eda blamed lack of awareness for increased malaria infections. He dispatched staff to be involved in the first phase.
“As we all know, malaria is one of the leading killer diseases. We don’t want to take chances. We must enforce timely interventions to curb its spread,” he said.
The officer urged residents to cooperate with the public health staff.
The chemicals they will use have been certified.The county worked closely with the Health ministry to get safer chemicals to kill mosquito larvae, as it seeks to get rid of the adult mosquito population.
County medical laboratory boss Abukar Khalif said his team has been screening residents at health facilities. He appealed to patients to report to the nearest facilities for swift help.
Malaria symptoms include high fever, headache, moderate to severe shaking chills, abdominal pain, profuse sweating, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, anaemia and convulsions.
Dengue symptoms usually begin four to six days after infection. They can last for up to 10 days. They include sudden high fever, fatigue, severe headaches, pain behind the eyes, vomiting, severe joint pain, and nausea.