Vol. 5, Issue 5, Part A (2018)

Author(s): Eunice A Owino

Abstract: In the recent past, Kenya has seen an upsurge in diseases oubreaks caused by arboviruses especially dengue, chikungunya and riftvalley which have led to economic loss in terms of morbidity and mortality sometimes in both animals and man like in the case of riftvalley fever. Climatic change, unplanned urbanization combined with efficient vectors are some of the factors believed to be driving the emergence. Going by the current trend, an increase in the number of outbreaks is foreseeable in the future. The greatest risk of these arboviruses comes from their ability and potential to adopt from slyvatic zoophilic cycles to urban or peridomestic transmission cycles involving highly efficient and anthropophilic vector, Ae. aegypti. To exacerbate the problem, most of these arboviruses have no licensed vaccines and third world countries like Kenya still lack policies for the prevention and control of these diseases. There is also the reason to believe that viruses like Yellow fever and Zika virus have the potential for urban transmission. This could have devastating public health consequences, especially due to the fact that most city dwellers are not vaccinated and thus have no herd immunity. More emphasise therefore needs to be put in understanding the factors for emergence of these diseases in the local environments, their future trends and what actions could be taken to prevent and control them locally.