The Influence of Infrastructural Support and Population Mobility Factors on Strategic Control of Malaria in Homabay Town Constituency, Homabay County, Kenya

Abstract

Malaria is by far the most important insect transmitted disease (Gilles and Warrell, 1993), causing up to 90% of deaths annually in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Kenya alone, out of a total population of about 40 million, an estimated 8.2 million cases of malaria are reported every year (Kindermans, 2002). Malaria is also responsible for about 30 – 50% of all outpatient attendance and another 20% of all inpatient annual admissions in Kenya’s public health facilities (MoH, 2006).The distribution of malaria is not uniform, because of geographical differences in altitude, rainfall and humidity. These factors influence transmission patterns, as they determine vector densities and intensity of biting. It is recognized that much of the morbidity and mortality associated with malaria could be reduced provided that existing strategic control measures like ITNs, IVMs, vaccination, and ACT treatment among others are fully undertaken. This study aimed at investigating the influence of infrastructural support and population mobility factors on strategic control of malaria in Homabay Town Constituency. Most of the residents of Homabay Town Constituency reside along Lake Victoria Basin and are highly susceptible to malaria attacks due to the heavy presence of mosquitoes in such regions. Ross’ quantitative theory of malaria and mosquito-borne disease transmission and the quantitative foundation of epidemiology that describe adult mosquito movement and the spatial scale of larval control required to reduce mosquito populations and eliminate malaria from an area, formed the major basis of this study. A descriptive survey research design was adopted with a sample of 392 respondents drawn from a target population of 18,932 households from the four Wards of Homabay Town Constituency. Data was collected using questionnaire schedules and the responses were analyzed with the help of SPSS and subjected to chi-square analysis to test research hypotheses. The findings revealed that infrastructural support factors have very great influence on strategic implementation of malaria intervention strategies in Homabay Town Constituency, while population mobility factors have little very little influence strategic malaria control. The study recommends, among other things, that infrastructural development projects should be prioritized in Homabay Town Constituency to up-scale 1. The construction/rehabilitation of major access roads to improve transport network and enhance access to Healthcare facilities; 2. The establishment, equipping and staffing of healthcare facilities to improve their distribution, accessibility and service delivery, and 3. The improvement in communication network through strategic social-sites, websites, print and audio media and emergency help-line interventions.

Key Words: Infrastructural Factors; Population Mobility factors; Strategic Malaria Control.