Over 75 per cent of the respiratory disease burden in Siaya County affects children under the age of five.
According to the Chronic Disease Society (CDS) Africa, a recent survey on respiratory illnesses in the county found that most children under five suffering from respiratory conditions live in households that use unclean cooking energy.
CDS Africa Chairperson Faith Okwayo, speaking to the media during a medical camp organised by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) in Siaya Town, said the county is among the country’s high-burden areas for respiratory illnesses due to widespread use of unclean energy in homes.
Okwayo said that because of the heavy respiratory disease burden in the region, CDS Africa partnered with EPRA and the Siaya County Government to conduct a specialised medical camp focused on screening and treating respiratory illnesses.
” This is a two-day specialised medical camp organised by EPRA and we will be targeting between two to three thousand patients with free services ranging from screening, diagnosis and treatment “, Okwayo said
She added that screening for specialised critical chronic diseases like Ashma, lung cancer, and pulmonary illnesses will be supported by a team of pulmologists who will be giving services at the event.
EPRA director general Dr. Eng. Joseph Okech said that the initiative is part of the organisations cooporate social responsibility in line with the government’s agenda of promoting access to universal health.
Okech said that some of the health problems in Siaya county emanate from cooking with firewood, charcoal whose fumes cause respiratory illnesses.
Eng. Oketch said the authority is adopting a “one-government approach” that aligns energy-transition policy with public-health objectives.
“When you cook with firewood and charcoal, the fumes produce severe respiratory health problems,” he said, urging a national shift to clean cooking technologies.
EPRA demonstrated alternatives during the camp in partnership with agencies, including GIZ.
Godfrey Odhiambo Otieno, Chief Nursing Officer at the Siaya County Department of Health, said the county’s disease profile requires focused, specialized interventions rather than general outreach.
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