HOMA BAY: The health department in Homa Bay has launched a campaign to emphasize the significance of antenatal care clinics for pregnant women, with a focus on preventing malaria infections through prescribed medication.
According to Kenya News Agency, Homa Bay Town Health Promotion Officer Charles Okatch stated that the initiative aims to ensure women attend all sessions of antenatal care to receive prescribed doses of Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP), a malaria prophylaxis. This approach is part of broader strategies to prevent malaria transmission during pregnancy, which requires attending at least four antenatal sessions after the first trimester.
Okatch noted that only a small fraction of women in Homa Bay attend antenatal care visits, with many unaware of the visits’ importance for their health and their unborn children’s well-being. He emphasized that pregnant women should receive four doses of anti-malarial drugs during pregnancy, but some fail to attend clinics or come later, missing the full benefit
of the medication, thus increasing their risk of contracting malaria.
The officer also expressed concern about schoolgirls and youth neglecting antenatal care due to fear or school commitments. He mentioned plans to conduct outreach programs to engage them and the wider community after completing mapping efforts.
According to Okatch, contracting malaria during pregnancy poses risks such as preterm birth, low birth weight, complications, and maternal anemia. He stressed that SP drugs should be used alongside other preventive measures like mosquito nets.
However, challenges persist, including insufficient human resources and shortages of supplies like malaria test kits. The officer pointed out that pregnant women face long wait times due to staffing shortages, discouraging them from returning for care.
To combat malaria at the household level, the department has implemented measures like Indoor Residual Spraying, which has been conducted over five cycles, distributed mosquito nets, and is currently focused
on case management.
