Priority NTDs
In Kenya, 18 out of the 20 NTDs listed by the WHO are suspected, confirmed, or endemic to the country. AM2NTD is focused on building modeling capacity to support control and elimination efforts for these devastating diseases.
NTDs in Kenya
Kenya has made significant progress in addressing NTDs. In February 2018, Kenya became the 41st country out of the 47 Member States in the African Region to be certified free of Guinea worm disease. Leprosy is being eliminated as a public health problem, and Human African Trypanosomiasis is moving steadily towards elimination.
However, many NTDs remain endemic and continue to affect millions of Kenyans, particularly in rural and marginalized communities with limited access to healthcare, clean water, and sanitation.
Learn About Priority NTDs
Schistosomiasis
A parasitic disease affecting 240 million people globally, caused by blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma.
KEY FACTS:
- •9 million people infected in Kenya
- •Both intestinal and urogenital forms present
- •Transmitted via freshwater contact
- •Preventable and treatable
Trachoma
A bacterial eye infection that is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide, affecting 1.9 million people.
KEY FACTS:
- •Caused by Chlamydia trachomatis
- •Affects 38 countries globally
- •Preventable through the SAFE strategy
- •Leading cause of infectious blindness
Soil-Transmitted Helminths
Intestinal worms including roundworms, whipworms and hookworms that affect over 1.5 billion people worldwide.
KEY FACTS:
- •Affects primarily children
- •Transmitted through contaminated soil
- •Causes malnutrition and developmental issues
- •Controlled through deworming programs