A Kenyan doctor in a malaria ward

WHO/TRD/Crump

Scientists in Kenya produce some of the world's top research on malaria, yet the disease still affects more than four million people there, killing 32,000 a year.

In this article, Wandera Ojanji asks why this research is not being translated into government policies to fight malaria.

Bob Snow, of the Kenya Medical Research Institute, says there are no mechanisms in place to ensure this happens. He adds that Kenya's malaria strategy for 2001-2010 is an "abandoned document" whose scientific recommendations have been ignored.

But researchers at Kenya's Ministry of Health say malaria parasites are becoming resistant to drugs faster than the government can implement new strategies for treating infections.

They add that insecticide treated bednets and the most effective drugs are too expensive for Kenya.

In an accompanying article, Rogers Atebe, the former chair of the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya, argues that the government must look beyond donor funding for it to wage a sustainable war against malaria.

Bob Snow, professor of tropical public health, is a member of the advisory panel for SciDev.Net's malaria dossier.

Link to full article in The Standard

Link to full article by Rogers Atebe