Kenya has laid out plans to wipe out elephantiasis and trachoma in the next two to three years, a learning summit on ending Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) heard yesterday.

Health Principal Secretary, Susan Mochache revealed the government has allocated Sh2.4 billion towards the elimination of the two diseases.

“If we eliminated Guinea Worm in Kenya, what is so difficult for us to achieve our targets,” she said, adding that efforts have been deployed to ensure the elimination of the diseases.

“We are eliminating elephantiasis with the sustained focus we have. Trachoma/River Blindness is the next NTD on the line that we are going to eliminate in the next three years,” she said.

Current statistics show that approximately half of Kenya’s population – about 25 million Kenyans – are at risk of one NTD or another.

In 2018, Kenya was certified free of Guinea Worm and has achieved interruption of transmission for sleeping sickness and river blindness. “We are, however, on track to eliminate these and two other NTDs,” Mochache noted.

The impact of these NTDs, according to various speakers during the opening session of the summit, is huge and goes beyond health with effects extending to almost every other development challenge facing the country.

Water and sanitation, maternal and child health, education, infrastructure, economic opportunity, gender equality, are all affected by the impact of NTDs.

“Among school-going children and youth, NTDs lead to low school attendance and absenteeism and thus negatively affect their learning and education outcomes,” Mochache said calling for collaborated efforts to secure the future of the country’s young generation.

Statistics from the Health Ministry show that more than six million children are de-wormed each year through the National School-Based Deworming Programme, while three million children, youths and adults are de-wormed in the community.

According to Dr Carol Karutu, the vice president, of Programme, End Fund today the summit will focus on innovations, and technologies required to scale up interventions towards the elimination of NTDs in Kenya.

“The end goal is to eliminate it. What we are worried about is bilharzia, worms, elephantiasis, which we can eliminate; we have trachoma which we know we will eliminate elephantiasis and trachoma,” she said.