Climate Change Fuels Deadly Disease Outbreak as Kenya Loses Critical Aid

A perfect storm of climate change and funding cuts is creating a public health crisis in Kenya, where rising temperatures and erratic rainfall have accelerated the spread of kala-azar, a deadly disease that kills 95% of untreated patients. The “black fever,” transmitted by sandfly bites, now threatens 5 million Kenyans as extreme weather creates ideal breeding conditions for the disease-carrying insects.

In Kenya’s arid Turkana region, temperatures have risen 3-5°F since 1967—well above the global average—while severe droughts alternate with flash floods. These conditions have turned the cracked soil and degraded landscape around Lake Turkana into sandfly breeding grounds. The insects thrive in the warm, dark spaces near traditional mud homes, putting nomadic herding communities at particular risk as they move livestock in search of water and grazing land.

The crisis has intensified dramatically as international aid disappears. President Trump’s cuts to USAID eliminated funding for community health workers who previously managed cases and raised awareness about the disease. Turkana County, which typically sees 200-300 annual cases, has reported over 520 cases in 2025 alone—the highest on record. Officials declared a kala-azar emergency in September as hospitals face critical shortages of diagnostic kits and medications.

The disease primarily affects children under 15, requiring weeks of toxic daily injections for treatment. With pharmaceutical companies showing little interest in developing better treatments for this “disease of the poor,” and Kenya’s ambitious 2030 elimination goal appearing increasingly unrealistic, communities like Turkana face a growing threat where climate change and political decisions converge to deadly effect.