Ecobank Kenya has unveiled an anti-malaria drive to lower mortality rate from the disease in Kisumu County.
The bank's Executive Director and Cluster Head Domestic Banking in Kenya and East Africa Tom Ndalo said over 1,000 households will benefit from insecticide-treated nets and another 600 homes benefitting from indoor residual spraying.
Ndalo said the campaign is targeting the most vulnerable groups including children under the age of five years who have not yet developed immunity to malaria and pregnant women.
He said the bank will also install two mosquito repelling air conditioners in the children’s wards in Kisumu District and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral hospitals.
“The campaign is part of a partnership between the bank and OGRA Foundation,” he said.
Speaking at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral hospital in Kisumu during the unveiling of the campaign, Ndalo said the campaign will offer free education on malaria prevention methods to the locals.
Kisumu County Governor Jack Ranguma who also graced the occasion announced that malaria remains a major public health challenge in the lakeside region.
Ranguma said his government is keen to reduce the mortality attributable to malaria in the county and welcome other partners to assist.
“I have allocated money on health and that will go a long way in addressing the issue of malaria in the county,” he said.
He said malaria deaths in Kisumu County are on the rise and there is need to reverse such deaths by adopting malaria prevention methods.