NAIROBI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan Ministry of Health is distributing 15.3 million long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) in 22 counties, targeting 27 million people at risk of malaria, a government official said on Monday.
Mary Muthoni Muriuki, principal secretary in the Ministry of Health, said that through the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP), Kenya is making significant strides in the fight against malaria with a comprehensive approach to prevention and management across the country.
"This process, which involves all stakeholders, is digitized for transparency and accountability," Muriuki said in a statement released in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Households in Lamu, Tana River, Kilifi, Trans Nzoia, Busia, and Narok will receive mosquito nets.
She revealed that the ministry has implemented an elaborate surveillance system that conducts routine epidemiological and periodic entomological monitoring with standardized data collection tools disseminated in health facilities across all 47 counties, facilitating early detection and management of malaria upsurges and epidemics.
She added that data collected through the integrated disease surveillance and response (IDSR) system and the Kenya Health Information Management System (KHIS) are reported on a weekly and monthly basis and are crucial in detecting malaria upsurges and epidemics, as well as in resource need projections and tailoring malaria prevention intervention packages. ■
