SCALE UP OF COMMUNITY CASE MANAGEMENT OF MALARIA ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED HOSPITALIZATION RATES FOR SEVERE DISEASE – BUSIA COUNTY, KENYA, 2021-2024

Tonny Mutuku, PSKENYA
Frankline Okome, population services kenya

Background Community case management (CCM) of malaria to test and treat uncomplicated cases of malaria outside of health facilities by community health promoters (CHP) has been in practice in Kenya since July 2012. CCM, when implemented at scale, should reduce hospitalization and mortality through early diagnosis and treatment to prevent disease progression to severe malaria. Methods Using routine program data from Oct 2021 to April 2024, we conducted linear regression analysis to ascertain whether proportion of CCM is associated with malaria admission and mortality rates. Admission rates were calculated as the number of malaria inpatient admissions divided by the total number of confirmed malaria cases. Results For every 10% increase in CCM in Busia, there was a 30% (p= 0.001) decline in malaria admissions among <5-year-olds. For 5+ year olds, there was a 20% (p= 0.008) decline in malaria admissions for every 10% increase in CCM. However, there was no association with mortality. Conclusion Concerted efforts to increase CCM in Busia County have resulted in the majority of malaria cases being managed by CHPs in the community, especially for children <5. This analysis has shown scaling up CCM is associated with reduction in malaria admissions

Keywords: Mortality and Longevity, Health and Morbidity, Data and Methods, Social network methods

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