Four counties hardest by Trachoma, warn experts
By Alvin.Mwangi and George.Kebaso, November 16, 2023Non-government organisations have raised the red flag over trachoma, saying the disease remains a big threat in four counties, despite numerous efforts to eradicate it.
Speaking during a consultative forum yesterday, Samuel Eshitemi, a technical manager with Sights Savers said the disease has remained a problem in the four counties — Narok, Baringo, Turkana and Kajiado — mainly because of cultural practices.
Trachoma, which according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), is among the 20 Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD), and is the primary infectious cause of blindness worldwide, is no longer prevalent in West Pokot County.
Consistent implementation
More than 53,200 Kenyans have already been blinded by trachoma, but due to consistent implementation of Mass Drug Administration (MDA) in the country, the situation has recorded remarkable gains.
The disease is caused by infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis.
“The disease is prevalent in these counties because of the cultural practices which include rearing of cattle. This disease is usually spread by an insect and as you can see clearly communities in these areas practice rearing of cattle,” he said.
Social behaviour change
Eshitemi also noted that the disease was more prevalent in women.
“The reason as to why this disease affects more women is because women spend most of their time with their children. Studies show that the disease attacks children as it progresses to older persons. The sad reality is that these kids don’t bathe as statistics show that lack of hygiene has contributed a lot to its spread,” he said.
Eshitemi said as part of interventions they have introduced social behaviour change.
Infection is transmitted from person to person through contaminated fingers, fomites and flies that have come into contact with discharge from the eyes or nose of an infected person.
Environmental risk factors for trachoma transmission include poor hygiene, overcrowded households, inadequate access to water or use of proper sanitation facilities.
WHO only validated Benin and Mali as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, making them the fifth and sixth countries in WHO’s African Region to achieve this milestone.
Countries that previously received WHO validation for trachoma elimination are Ghana (June 2018), Gambia (April 2021), Togo (May 2022) and Malawi (September 2022).
“WHO congratulates the health authorities of Benin and Mali and their network of global and local partners for these milestones,” said WHO director general Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus said.