Kenya -- Health
Many
illnesses
in Kenya
are transmitted
by insects
and animals,
and by the
use of contaminated
water for
washing
and drinking.
The situation
is compounded
by the relatively
common lack
of understanding
of sanitary
principles,
by malnutrition--which
both causes
specific
disabilities
and lowers
resistance--and
by AIDS.
Infectious
respiratory
diseases
and malaria
account
for a majority
of illnesses
and deaths.
Malaria
remains
a major
health risk
despite
long-standing
programs
to control
its spread,
including
spraying
of mosquito-infested
areas and
free distribution
of antimalaria
prophylaxis.
Other common
illnesses
include
tuberculosis,
dysentery,
and parasitic
and venereal
diseases.
Filariasis,
transmitted
by a bite
from an
infected
black fly,
mosquito,
or mangrove
fly is common
in coastal
regions.
Kala-azar
(visceral
leishmaniasis),
transmitted
by the bite
of an infected
sand fly,
is a serious
health problem
in certain
northern
areas. Sleeping
sickness,
transmitted
by tsetse
flies, is
a problem
particularly
in the Lambwe
valley and
the Samia
area in
Busia District
of Nyanza
Province.
Measles
is a problem
that especially
afflicts
young children.
Other leading
causes of
infant mortality
are gastroenteritis,
colitis,
kwashiorkor,
tetanus,
and whooping
cough. Anemia,
due to protein
deficiency,
is widespread.
Vitamin
A deficiency,
various
parasitic
infections,
and trachoma,
which causes
blindness,
are also
common in
Kenya, as
are skin
diseases.
Fortunately,
epidemic
diseases,
such as
smallpox
and cholera,
have largely
been controlled.
Since
independence,
the Ministry
of Health
has been
charged
with the
principal
responsibility
for providing
health services.
Its functions
include
devising
health policy;
planning,
organizing
and administrating
central
health services;
training
health care
practitioners;
coordinating
activities
with other
government
departments
and non-governmental
agencies;
and complying
with international
health regulations.
Additional
medical
services
are provided
by private
organizations
and church
groups.
Many
Kenyans
also use
traditional
methods
of diagnosis
and treatment.
There is
widespread
belief that
illness
and death
are caused
by malevolent
spirits
or angry
ancestors,
or are the
result of
the conscious
or unconscious
misconduct
of the sick
person or
a member
of their
family.
Traditional
cures involve
finding
the cause
of afflictions
through
divination
as well
as restoring
the social
equilibrium
brought
on by the
affliction
through
magical
acts and
sacrifice.[1]
The
AIDS virus
arrived
late in
Kenya compared
with nearby
countries
like Uganda.
Increasingly,
the Kenyan
government
has made
allowances
for AIDS
in preparing
development
plans. In
October
1996, the
government
reported
that a total
of 65,000
AIDS sufferers
had sought
hospital
care. According
to a report
released
in May 1994
by the Ministry
of Health,
a total
of 130,000
cases had
been documented.
1994-96
development
plans forecast
that the
HIV-infected
population
in Kenya
would rise
from 448,000
in 1990
to 1.27
million
by 1996,
and that
the AIDS-related
deaths would
increase
from 20,000
to 80,000
in the same
period.
Since
the 1960s,
Kenya has
given priority
to improving
basic health
services.
This
improvement,
together
with growth
in average
income,
has resulted
in a better
overall
quality
of life
for most
Kenyans.
Official
figures
give a total
of 3,058
health institutions
in 1996,
up from
2,925 just
the previous
year. The
health sector's
share of
central
government
expenditure
rose from
5% in 1995/96
to 7% in
1996/97.[2]
Since
1989, Kenya
has reduced
government
commitment
to public
health through
selective
privatization.
In December
1989, the
Ministry
of Health
introduced
a cost-recovery
program
known as
the Facility
Improvement
Fund, which
covers fees
for inpatient
and outpatient
services
at all hospitals
and health
centers.
Kenyans
are encouraged
to make
better use
of health
centers
and dispensaries
and so to
relieve
demand on
hospitals
for services.
[1]
Kaplan,
Irving &
et.al. 1976.
Area
Handbook
for Kenya,
Second Ed.,
U.S. Government
Printing
Office:
Washington,
D.C. pp.
136-142.
[2]
The Economist
Intelligence
Unit, 1998,
Country
Profile.
Kenya,
The Unit:
London,
pp.19-20.