A Personal Account on Malaria

A Personal Account on Malaria

Today the world celebrates World Malaria Day. But is there reason to celebrate the day in Kenya?

Chief Sebastian Karisa Mwagona sits with his three assistant chiefs’ in the iron sheet-walled room filing information on Jaribuni location which he manages in Kilifi County. The Chief’s quaint welcoming smile smartly conceals his parental concern over his last born child, a 5month old boy who rests several kilometres away at a relative’s house, a stone-throw away from Kilifi District Hospital.

A few weeks ago, Victor Karisa, was admitted at the Kilifi District Hospital with severe breathing problems and convulsions; all symptoms of severe malaria. “I had to call for a taxi at 2am to take him to hospital.” The distance from the chief’s home to the hospital is about an hour’s drive but the rough, bumpy dirt road makes an hour seem like a lifetime to a parent with a critically ill child. During the rainy season, the journey becomes a nightmare as the roads become muddy and slippery making it impenetrable by any form of road transport.

At 50 years, Chief Mwagona has experienced his fair share of malaria cases. From his oldest son who is 19 years to the recently ill 5 month old, all of his seven children have suffered from malaria at one point or another. “Usually the emphasis is on how malaria affects women and children. In my opinion especially because my wife and I share everything including duties, we; father and mother, also share in the suffering particularly when the children become critically ill.”

Chief Mwagona’s biggest concern springs from ...

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