Reviewing the literature on access to prompt and effective malaria treatment in Kenya: implications for meeting the Abuja targets

Reviewing the literature on access to prompt and effective malaria treatment in Kenya: implications for meeting the Abuja targets

Malaria Journal, October 2009

19863788

Jane Chuma, Timothy Abuya, Dorothy Memusi, Elizabeth Juma, Willis Akhwale, Janet Ntwiga, Andrew Nyandigisi, Gladys Tetteh, Rima Shretta, Abdinasir Amin

Effective case management is central to reducing malaria mortality and morbidity worldwide, but only a minority of those affected by malaria, have access to prompt effective treatment.In Kenya, the Division of Malaria Control is committed to ensuring that 80 percent of childhood fevers are treated with effective anti-malarial medicines within 24 hours of fever onset, but this target is largely unmet. This review aimed to document evidence on access to effective malaria treatment in Kenya, identify factors that influence access, and make recommendations on how to improve prompt access to effective malaria treatment. Since treatment-seeking patterns for malaria are similar in many settings in sub-Saharan Africa, the findings presented in this review have important lessons for other malaria endemic countries.