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Wajir County has escalated its fight against the kala-azar outbreak by launching an intensified fumigation and spraying campaign across the hardest-hit areas in Eldas and Wajir West. The exercise, which began this week, aims to curb the spread of the deadly disease that has so far resulted in nine deaths and over 500 infections since September last year.

The county’s health department has identified 6,000 households as priority areas for fumigation in a bid to eliminate sandflies, the primary vectors of the disease. Officials say the recent floods have exacerbated the situation, creating ideal breeding conditions for the sandflies.

“Our goal is to reach at least 6,000 households with this intervention to mitigate further transmission. The outbreak remains a serious public health concern, and urgent action is needed to contain it,” stated Mohamed Hassan Maalim, the County Director for Public Health.

Apart from fumigation, the health team is conducting awareness campaigns to educate residents on the symptoms, transmission, and preventive measures against kala-azar. Health authorities have urged residents to seek medical attention promptly if they exhibit signs of the disease.

Ahmed Guhad, the County Chief Officer for Medical Services, confirmed that all nine reported fatalities were children under five years old. He noted that the most affected areas include Eldas, Wajir West, and Wajir East, where health facilities are struggling to cope with the rising number of cases.

Speaking at Wajir Referral Hospital, Hassan Abass Ahmed, the County Director of Medical Services, acknowledged the strain on healthcare facilities, stating that additional pediatric wards have been set up to accommodate the growing number of young patients. To manage the influx, some cases are being referred to Makoror Hospital, while health centers in Giriftu and Eldas have also started admitting patients directly.

Despite these efforts, the county continues to face logistical challenges, including inadequate testing kits and delayed test results from national government laboratories in Nairobi, Nakuru, and Kisumu, hampering timely treatment.

Kala-azar, also known as visceral leishmaniasis, is caused by the Leishmania parasite and transmitted through sandfly bites. If left untreated, the disease can be fatal. Common symptoms include prolonged fever, weight loss, anemia, fatigue, diarrhea, and swelling of the spleen and liver.

India Together: The curse of Kala-azar

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Left to fend for themselves while their men are away looking for work elsewhere, poor women find themselves trapped between the quackery of the limited medical attention they can access and the social binds of their families. Puja Awasthi reports.

08 March 2019 –

One morning when Jaya Devi, an 80-year-old widow, reached Patna’s Rajendra Prasad Memorial…

A health worker recognized the illness right away. 4-year-old Sunday John had the telltale skin eruptions that come from a kala azar infection. As the disease progresses, parasites, transmitted by sand flies, nestle in internal organs and slowly destroy the immune system. The disease is almost always fatal.

Fortunately, the health worker told Sunday's mother, Regina Deng, that the disease is treatable. It requires a series of injections over at least 12 days. Unfortunately, he could not help. Instead, she had to cross a frontline in South Sudan's ongoing conflict to get treatment for her daughter.

Because fighting has destroyed much of South Sudan's health system, people must increasingly cross through dangerous areas to access the health care that is available.