Nine people have died of malaria at Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei settlement following an outbreak in the area of Kenya. A statement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said thousands of malaria cases have been reported over the past two months. According to the statement, “A total of five and four deaths have been reported in Kalobeyei settlement and Kakuma camp respectively. Around 12,000 cases of malaria, both from the host and refugee community, have been treated at Kakuma camp and Kalobeyei settlement since August 2017.” UNHCR also stated that increased cases of malaria had been reported among refugees in the camp following seasonal rains in Kakuma.
The agency noted that those infected by the plasmodium falciparum malaria were undergoing treatment in various hospitals in the camp. “Health facilities in Kakuma camp and Kalobeyei settlement are stocked with both first-line and second-line recommended treatment for both severe and non-severe malaria. Health partners have enough rapid diagnostic kits to ensure all suspected cases are tested for confirmation,” the UNHCR communication director in Nairobi, Yvonne Ndege, said. Health partners have also mobilised resources to ensure they procure enough anti-malarial drugs and rapid diagnostic kits to treat the increased cases of malaria in the camps.
