Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) continue to pose significant health and socio-economic challenges in Kenya, particularly affecting millions in rural and impoverished areas. These diseases, including lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), schistosomiasis (Bilharzia), and trachoma, thrive in environments with poor sanitation and limited healthcare access, exacerbating chronic illness, disability, and stigmatization among affected communities.
Irene Chami, Director of Programs at the END Fund, emphasizes the preventable nature of NTDs through targeted interventions. Despite affecting over 25 million Kenyans, these diseases can be controlled and even eliminated with appropriate measures. Factors such as inadequate clean water access, poor sanitation practices, and weak health infrastructure contribute to their persistence, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive interventions.
Idah Binale from Wash Alliance Kenya underscores the behavioral aspects contributing to NTD transmission, noting that improper waste disposal during floods contaminates surface water sources, leading to diseases like Bilharzia, which particularly affects children in schools. Behavioral change, she emphasizes, is crucial in mitigating these diseases.
Vincent Ouma, Programme Manager for NTDs at Amref Africa, highlights the role of environmental factors in diseases like trachoma, where flies transmitting the disease thrive in settings where humans and animals coexist closely. He stresses the importance of community awareness to dispel myths about NTDs, such as attributing them to witchcraft, and encourages affected individuals to seek treatment promptly at health facilities where these diseases are treatable.
The collective efforts of organizations and communities are crucial in combating NTDs in Kenya, aiming not only to alleviate health burdens but also to break the cycle of poverty perpetuated by these debilitating diseases.
