Kenya targets 18 mln citizens in drive against bilharzia, intestinal worms

Kenya on Wednesday launched a drive that targets 18 million citizens in the fight against bilharzia, a disease caused by a parasitic worm spread by snails.
“Our aim is to administer preventive deworming treatment to 18 million individuals residing in high-risk regions throughout the 2023/24 financial year,” Mary Muthoni, principal secretary in charge of public health and professional standards at the Ministry of Health, said in a statement.
She said that in addition to bilharzia (schistosomiasis), the initiative, which involves mass drug administration, will also tackle intestinal worms affecting Lake, Coastal, and Western regions.
The government will deploy community health promoters to educate communities on hygiene and sanitation practices, Muthoni said.
Bilharzia, a disease caused by a parasite harbored in freshwater snails in subtropical and tropical regions, affects over 800 million people across the world and more than 10 million in Kenya.
According to the World Health Organization, people become infected when larval forms of the parasite penetrate the skin during contact with infested water. Transmission occurs when people suffering from schistosomiasis contaminate freshwater sources with feces or urine containing parasite eggs, which hatch in water.
Worldwide, 1.5 billion people suffer from intestinal worms, with 20 million facing the risk in Kenya.