Is Kenya ready to turn to technology to finally defeat malaria?­­

Is Kenya ready to turn to technology to finally defeat malaria?­­

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Brygettes Ngana,  Nation,  2024.

For decades, researchers have  tested and refined dozens of methods to combat malaria,  striving to outmaneuver  the resilient mosquito.  From deploying bed nets to developing indoor residual spraying, these strategies have formed the frontline defense against this persistent parasite.

Over the years, tactics like sleeping under a treated mosquito net and destroying mosquito breeding areas have become ingrained in our daily lives. Yet, malaria remains one of the deadliest diseases in Africa,  claiming nearly 600,000 lives annually,  the majority of whom are children under the age of five.

The disease is transmitted by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, found in the female Anopheles mosquito, and  thrive in the warm, tropical climates found across much of the continent. The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that 249 million cases of malaria occurred in just 85 malaria-endemic countries in 2022. Nine out of 10 of these deaths occurred in Africa. Despite the development of new vaccines, and antimalarial drugs, progress in reducing malaria transmission, WHO says, has slowed.  Even in  some developed countries where it was once a distant memory, the disease is making a comeback.