Kenya leads Africa in fight against worms

By KEVINE OMOLLO

Kenya has been rated the leading African country in the fight against the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) after successfully implementing the National School-Based Deworming Programme (NSBDP).

Through the ‘Every Child Everywhere, Free from Worms Forever’ campaign, funded by Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), the country’s health sector is expected to act as a role model to the rest of the continent.

In the Sh4.3 billion CIFF’s funding in Africa, Kenya has received Sh1.2 billion to implement NSBDP till 2016.

During Soil Transmitted Helminth Community Day held at the Institut Pasteur Paris France on April 3, the country was invited to showcase the progress in the fight against worms with other African countries showing interest in learning from Kenya.

According to reports by World Health Organization, over 800 million children live where worms are intensively transmitted.