The government has launched a Mass Drug Administration (MDA) exercise aimed at tackling Bilharzia and Intestinal Worms.
According to the Permanent Secretary of the State Department of Public Health and Professional Standards, Mary Muthoni, this initiative stems from an extensive burden assessment conducted in the Lake, Coastal, and Western Regions.
The assessment identified multiple wards requiring preventive MDA to interrupt the transmission of these Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
The PS says aligned with the World Health Organization’s (2021-2030) Roadmap for Elimination of NTDs, the Ministry collaborates with WHO to extend preventive deworming treatment to 18 million individuals in high-risk regions during 2023/24.
She says government will deploy Community Health Promoters to educate communities on hygiene and sanitation practices, paving the way for the elimination of NTDs and other preventable illnesses in harmony with Universal Health Coverage (UHC) objectives.
Globally, the threat of Bilharzia looms over 800 million people, with 254 million already infected.
In Kenya, the risk of Bilharzia affects over 10 million individuals. Concurrently, 1.5 billion individuals worldwide suffer from intestinal worms, with 20 million at risk within our nation.
