“There is a major killer of children and especially boys on the rise in western Kenya”. This is an alarm raised by the MMUST Medical Biotechnologist Nicholas Kitungulu during the MMUST Melting Pot Research Seminar series on 15th March 2018. An endemic cancer known as “Burkitt lymphoma”, which manifests in the form of fever, swollen glands, frequent or severe infections, shortness of breath or cough, chest pain, swollen stomach, extreme tiredness and weight loss, has been associated with over 70% of cancer-related child deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.

This is of great public health concern, as this type of cancer is associated with malaria infections that are very common in the tropical region. Research has shown that the cancer is triggered by a virus called Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), which is associated with several viral illnesses and cancers. Kitungulu’s research shows that children who are continuously exposed to malaria are more likely to suffer Burkitt cancer due to reduced immunity.

“Our government needs to upscale capacity for malaria control and treatment, as well as monitoring of the EBV viral infection, especially in children living in malaria endemic regions such as western Kenya” said Kitungulu.