The Ministry of Health has launched a Mass Drug Administration (MDA) exercise aimed at tackling Bilharzia and Intestinal Worms.
The initiative comes after an assessment conducted in Lake, Coastal, and Western Regions identified multiple wards in need of preventive mass drug administration to interrupt the transmission of these Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
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.
The Ministry is also collaborating with World Health Organisation (WHO) to extend preventive deworming treatment to 18 million individuals in high-risk regions in 2023 to 2024.
The government has committed to deploy Community Health Promoters to educate communities on hygiene and sanitation practices, paving the way for the elimination of NTDs and other preventable illnesses.
