A British-funded research team has found that malaria has increased seven-folds in slopes of Mount Kenya due to a two degree increase in temperature.

The temperature increase around the mountain in the past 20 years has made the disease reach higher areas. Population of four millions at higher reaches has little or no immunity.

The researchers, funded by the Department for International Development (DfID), found Kenyan Central Highlands’ temperature had risen from 17 C in 1989 to 19 C today.

Due to parasites wanting a temperature of 18 C for maturing malaria was absent from the region before 1990. But with a rise in temperature today mosquitoes have taken the disease to high altitude areas resulting in epidemic outbreak in humans.

A DfID spokesman said, “The seven-fold increase is directly attributable to man-made climate change.”

People in the West Kenyan highlands have been provided with mosquito nets since malaria has been noticed. DfID has handed out 14 million bed nets since 2001.

Kenyan Medical Research Institute is educating people through church meetings.