Malaria imposes a huge burden upon the health and economic development of tropical nations and has been identified as a major obstacle to sustainable development by the world’s poorest regions. Diagnosis of malaria still remains a major challenge towards effective case management more so in areas with limited diagnostic facilities and lack of access to skilled health personnel. Clinical diagnosis which is the most widely used approach has several limitations leading to its low sensiti...
ABSTRACT Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharziases is a parasitic disease caused by blood flukes (trematodes) of the genus Schistosoma. Both urinary schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma haematobium and intestinal schistosomiasis caused by S. mansoni occur in various regions of Kenya, including the coastal region. River Tana which flows through Garsen, offer breeding sites for Bulinus snails which are the fresh water snail vectors for S. haematobium. Despite the WHO recommending the strateg...
Malaria causes the greatest public health burden in sub-Saharan Africa where high mortality mainly occurs in children under five years of age and pregnant women. Majority of Kenyan population are at risk of malaria infection. Traditionally, malaria has been studied mainly in Western and Coastal Kenya while the rift valley especially Baringo County few malaria studies have been conducted indicating seasonal transmission. This has resulted in scanty information on actual malaria prevalence...
ABSTRACT The presence of multiple concurrent infections, or polyparasitism, is quite common in schistosomiasis endemic areas. Msambweni District in the Coast Province of Kenya is highly endemic for Schistosoma haematobium. Previous studies showed an overall prevalence of schistosomiasis in Msambweni District at 40% to 60%. This is a prevalence way above the national prevalence of approximately 23%. There has been continued support by various agencies, including the government and non-governme...
ABSTRACT Schistosomiasis is considered one of the neglected tropical diseases caused by blood flukes. The disease kills 200,000 people annually in Sub Saharan Africa and stunts cognitive and physical growth. In Kenya, the total population requiring preventive chemotherapy in the year 2015 was estimated at 2.5 million out of which 1.8 million were school aged children. Fresh water snails of genus Biomphalaria are the intermediate hosts of S. mansoni. Chemical molluscicides used to control snai...
ABSTRACT Amoebiasis is a common life-threatening parasitic disease affecting 12% of the world population. It is the third leading cause of mortality due to parasitic infections worldwide, after malaria and schistosomiasis. It is estimated that about 500 million people are at risk of infection with amoebiasis yearly. In developed countries infection occurs among travelers, recent immigrants from endemic regions, homosexual males, immune-compromised persons and institutionalized individuals. In...
ABSTRACT Phlebotomine sand flies are the vectors of Leishmania species, the causative agents of leishmaniases that are a global health problem and are usually endemic in developing countries affecting predominantly the poor in society. Complementally control measures through use of biodegradable, safe and species selective natural compounds are urgently needed. Plant based compounds are safe in most biosystems. Some synthetic chemical insecticides are toxic, expensive and discriminate use may...
ABSTRACT Zoonotic pathogens are among the most important causes of ill health in humans all over the world. In Kenya, the encroachment of wildlife habitats has led to increased interaction between humans and non-human primates especially baboons hence potential for zoonoses transmission. However, a risk analysis for these zoonoses had not been undertaken in Kenya. The current study aimed to investigate hemoparasites and gastrointestinal parasites of olive baboons (Papio anubis) at the human�...
ABSTRACT Geohelminthiases are infections caused by Ascaris lumbricoides, Ancylostoma duodenale, Necator americanus, Strongyloides stercoralis and Trichuris trichiura leading to oedema, iron-deficiency, protein-energy malnutrition, electrolyte derangement, endocrine upsets and cardio-vascular failure. Resulting sequelae lead to poor health, physical fitness and anaemia. Geohelminthiases is widespread in areas with poor sanitation but empirical data on prevalence and its effects ...
ABSTRACT Mrima hill in Kwale County, along the Kenyan coast, is known to have high natural background radiation caused mainly by 232 Thorium (Th). Currently, the area also has no proper sanitary disposal system and people use bushes as toilets. There are no fresh water bodies. Despite other parts of the coastal regions of Kenya having been studied for human disease vectors including mosquitoes and sandflies, no studies have been carried out in Mrima hill to establish the prevalence of these i...
ABSTRACT Malaria is the commonest parasitic disease that continues to cause considerable number of deaths despite the fact that it is treatable and preventable. In 2016, nearly 3.2 billion persons were at risk of malaria and a total of 216 million cases occurred occasioning deaths of approximately 445 thousand people worldwide with majority of the affected being children below five years of age. These numbers are high for a disease which is treatable and preventable. Plasmodium falciparum, th...
ABSTRACT Malaria is devastating diseases afflicting humans, in Kenya; the disease is endemic in areas around Lake Victoria and along the southern coast. Untreated malaria in school children, result in anaemia, reduced ability to concentrate and learn in school and if fallen sick may lead to school absenteeism. Insecticide treated nets (ITN) have been shown to provide significant protection against Plasmodium infection. Available data show that the overall prevalence of Plasmodium and anaemia...
ABSTRACT There are arthropod-borne disease outbreaks as a result of pathogen influx including arboviruses which are transmitted by strains of Aedes species that occur periodically in varying spots in Kenya. However, there has been paucity of documented information on the epidemiology of Aedes mosquitoes involved in transmission of different strains of viruses. This cross sectional study determined spatial and temporal distribution of Aedes mosquitoes, Dengue and Chikungunya viruses, and...
ABSTRACT Malaria is an infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by protozoa of the genus Plasmodium and is transmitted mainly through bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. The main species causing the disease in humans include Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium knowlesi. The disease results from multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever, headache,...
ABSTRACT Plasmodium is protozoa from the Apicomplexa phylum which causes malaria. In the tropics and sub-tropics, approximately 3.3 billion people are at risk. Artemisinin Combination Therapy (ACT), the current prime treatment, has been reported to have a possible emergence of resistance. This is a major obstacle that contributes to high mortality. Drug repurposing offers an appealing alternative to de novo drug development. Although astemizole and methylene blue have been reported to have an...