Circular mobilities and health care seeking practices for perceived malaria illness among Nairobi residents in Kenya

Abstract

The flow of individuals between rural and urban spaces and vice versa has impacted the health of individuals. Nairobi, for instance, is a malaria low-risk area, yet studies report high malaria incidence rates in the city. Could this phenomenon be as a result of circular migration? Studies show that Nairobi’s health facility utilisation rates are relatively high. Yet, observations indicate a high malaria incidence rate and that individuals seek other appropriate treatments, prompting this paper to show how experiences of perceived malaria shape individuals’ healthcare-seeking practices in malaria low-risk areas of Nairobi. This article employs the concept of medical diversity that Krause, Alex & Parkin put forth. Medical diversity implies the mutual borrowing of ideas, practices and styles among the different therapeutic practices adopted by patients in search of a cure. Through narratives and secondary data from blogs, experiences and healthcare-seeking behaviour for perceived malaria in Nairobi were captured. This study found that perceived malaria experiences were based on the wealth of knowledge individuals had received orally through time. The medical knowledge received produced and established diversity in health care seeking. Individuals thus sought appropriate care, not alternative forms of care.