LG air conditioners to keep malaria at bay for Kisumu infants

LG anti-mosquito air conditioners are providing hope in the fight against malaria in Kisumu County following their installation in children wards of two hospitals in the county.

LG mosquito-repelling air conditioners have been installed in the children’s wards of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital as well as Kisumu District Hospital.

The two hospitals which have an approximate combined bed capacity of 350 for children under the age of five will be protected from mosquitos by LG’s latest range of air conditioners powered with mosquito away technology, offering an effective, non-toxic way of repelling mosquitos.

Children under the age of five years are a key vulnerable group owing to their low immunity to malaria. “LG mosquito air conditioners are designed to assist local consumers in their daily fight against mosquitos,” said Mr. Tae-Ick Son, LG East and Central Africa Managing Director.

He added: “They are specially designed with capabilities to repel mosquitos away and prevent them from entering the room with ultrasonic technology, our innovative mosquito away air conditioners present a clean and safe, alternative,” he concluded.

The air conditioners also deliver fast and powerful cooling, along with a new system that balances temperature and humidity levels, to maintain the perfect indoor atmosphere. The air conditioners were donated by Ecobank Kenya when it unveiled an anti-malaria campaign to lower mortality from the disease in Kisumu.

Over 1,000 households will benefit from insecticide treated nets (ITNs) distributed by the bank in the campaign dubbed “Stop Malaria Now”.  Another 600 homes will benefit from indoor residual spraying to curb mosquito breeding.

Malaria remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Kenya, especially in the vulnerable groups; children under 5years, pregnant mothers and the elderly.Even though the disease is preventable, it is responsible for 30%of outpatient consultation cases, 19% of hospital admissions and 3- 5%of inpatient deaths in Kenya.

Kisumu County falls in the lake endemic zone and has a prevalence rate of 38 percent as per the Kenya malaria indicator survey of 2010, the most current survey in the country.

Base offers specialty aviation services across North Africa

Frontier Services Group Limited yesterday announced the establishment of Phoenix Aviation Malta Limited (“PAM”).   . Based on the Mediterranean island of Malta, PAM will offer specialty passenger and cargo flight services to the company’s growing list of clients active across North Africa.  

 FSG  will  reposition  two  of  its  aircraft  to  Malta  by  the  end  of  November  2014  to  support  a recent contract award and to meet the emergent requirements of other clients. 

Commenting  on  PAM’s  founding,  Erik  Prince,  Chairman  of  Frontier  Services  Group, said, “ we are excited about the formation of Phoenix Malta as we continue to expand our foot print in support of our clients’ needs, and the growth opportunities that this creates will be significant.”   

Mr. Prince continued: “PAM also represents the next logical step in the further development of FSG’s strategic vision to bring trusted and reliable air services to the entire African continent.” 

Gregg Smith, FSG’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “With two aircraft pre-positioned in Malta, we are now able to cover all of North Africa and most of West Africa, both important regions for our key clients.    We expect that our new ability to operate freely in EU jurisdictions will also appeal to our multinational clients.” 

LG first to roll out Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade

LG Electronics (LG) this week will begin rolling out the highly anticipated Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade for G3 smartphones starting in Poland this week, to be followed by other key markets in the near future. LG, the first global smartphone manufacturer to offer the Lollipop upgrade in 2014, will subsequently announce an upgrade schedule for other LG mobile devices.

This latest Android OS delivers a host of improvements including a new design language with added depth, shadows and animations. Notifications are improved with a new layout and color scheme and will be available on the new lock screen. 

A new security feature to strengthen the connectivity between devices will include enabling users to unlock their smartphone when it is physically near a pre-registered Bluetooth device such as the LG G Watch or G Watch R. Lollipop also introduces Android Runtime (ART) software to improve performance.

“LG is absolutely committed to giving our customers the best mobile experiences available and bringing Android Lollipop to G3 owners as soon as possible is a top priority,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The new features and improvements in Android 5.0 will bring a whole new user experience to the G3 and make it even better than it already is.”

Additional details related to LG devices will be announced in the near future as the Lollipop upgrade becomes available in local markets.

Ecobank kicks off anti-malaria campaign in Kisumu

Ecobank Kenya has unveiled an anti-malaria drive to lower mortality from the disease in Kisumu County.

Over 1,000 households will benefit from insecticide treated nets (ITNs) distributed by the bank in the campaign dubbed “Stop Malaria Now”.  Another 600 homes will benefit from indoor residual spraying to curb mosquito breeding.

Ecobank Kenya Executive Director Tom Ndalo said the campaign was part of a partnership between the bank and OGRA Foundation; a Kenyan based Non-Governmental Organization in greater Western Kenya focusing on community mobilization and sensitization around malaria prevention and control. 

Ecobank Kenya Executive Director Tom Ndalo (Left) presents an insecticide treated net to a Kisumu resident when the bank unveiled an anti-malaria drive to lower mortality from the disease in the County. Looking on is Governor Jack Ranguma.

“The campaign is targeting the most vulnerable groups including children under the age of five years who have not yet developed immunity to malaria and pregnant women whose immunity has been reduced by pregnancy,” said Ndalo.

He was speaking at the Jaramogi Oginga Teaching and Referral Hospital at an event attended by Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma.

On his part, Ranguma said malaria remains a major public health challenge in the lakeside region and welcomed the gesture by Ecobank. “I wish to thank Ecobank for stepping in to help in reducing the mortality attributable to malaria in the county,” said the Governor. 

Ecobank will also install two mosquito repelling air conditioners in the children’s wards in Kisumu District and Jaramogi Oginga Teaching and Referral hospitals.

The air conditioners emit ultrasonic waves that disrupt the mosquito’s sensory cells and cause paralysis, confusion and often death. Developed by LG Electronics, this new technology is completely harmless to humans and represents a clean, safe alternative to insecticides and repellants.

The campaign will offer free education on malaria prevention methods to the locals as well as encourage them to visit health facilities. High mortality rates from malaria have been linked to low use of mosquito nets and failure to seek medical attention on time.

Malaria remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Kenya, especially among the poor and vulnerable groups. Even though the disease is preventable, it is responsible for 30%of outpatient consultation cases, 19% of hospital admissions and 3- 5%of inpatient deaths.

Ndalo added: “This is in line with this year’s Ecobank day theme which is ‘Malaria prevention and control in Sub-Saharan Africa. The spirit of Ecobank is about giving back to communities where we operate. This is an integral part of the bank’s efforts to make Africa a better place.”

Kisumu County which falls in the Lake endemic zone has a prevalence rate of 38% as per the Kenya Malaria Indicator Survey (KMIS 2010).

“We are glad that Ecobank has recognized the core intervention areas recommended by World Health Organization in terms of vector control by providing ITNs and conducting residual spraying under this campaign. This will greatly boost our efforts in curbing malaria spread in Kisumu County,” said Mr. Gabriel Amolo, Executive Director OGRA Foundation.

Last year, during the Ecobank Day, the bank carried out free cancer screening in Kisumu and other parts of the country to sensitize the public on the effects of cancer – a leading cause of death in Kenya but with low awareness.