Holding the Line: Expanding Malaria Prevention as Cases Rise

Malaria continues to be a major global health challenge, particularly affecting communities in the African Region. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 249 million new cases of malaria worldwide in 2022, resulting in 608,000 deaths. Alarmingly, 94% of all malaria cases occur in the WHO African Region, underscoring the urgent need for intervention.

Infants and young children are among the most vulnerable with, an estimated four out of five malaria-related deaths for children under the age of five. Additionally, children from the poorest households in sub-Saharan Africa are at a significantly higher risk.

HopeCore has been leading the fight against malaria in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. In 2009, our Public Health Department launched the Malaria Program in schools located in Mwimbi and Muthambi sub-counties, which was our area of operation at that time. We began by providing treated mosquito nets to children in entry classes, distributing a total of 46,299 nets through schools since the program's inception. In addition to net distribution, we also conducted extensive malaria education sessions for parents, reaching 28,497 individuals. 

To expand our support to pregnant women, who are particularly vulnerable to malaria, we have started distributing mosquito nets at our office clinic. At this time, we have provided 117 nets to these vulnerable women.

Our efforts have yielded remarkable results, with a 77% reduction in malaria incidence in Mwimbi and Muthambi sub-counties over the past three years. Encouraged by this success, we expanded our program to the Tharaka North sub-county in 2023, an area with acute malaria needs. In 2023 alone, Tharaka North reported 880 malaria cases, compared to just 61 cases in the combined Mwimbi and Muthambi sub-counties. With our expanded efforts we distributed 2,715 nets and educated 2,598 parents in Tharaka North as part of our ongoing efforts to combat malaria in the region.

In 2024, however, malaria cases have been on the rise in Tharaka Nithi County. In the past 11 weeks, the county has seen 529 confirmed malaria cases, with more than half of these cases in Tharaka North. To address this, HopeCore is educating and supplying nets to the pre-primary (PP1) children in schools in Tharaka North and South., which started in March. So far we have reached 753 parents to educate them on malaria and 735 nets have been distributed to 32 schools.

HopeCore remains committed to fighting malaria and improving the health and well-being of communities in Tharaka Nithi County. Through our comprehensive programs and community engagement, we continue to make strides in reducing malaria incidence and improving health outcomes for all.