Why Kuresoi tops in worms and Naivasha leads in Bilharzia

Nakuru County has completed a mapping of vector borne and neglected tropical diseases in the county, identifying Naivasha and Kuresoi as the most affected areas.

According to the County Director of Public Health, Elizabeth Kiptoo, intestinal worms (minyoo) are most prevalent in Kuresoi South and North, while Bilharzia, is concentrated in Naivasha Sub-County.

“We found that intestinal worms are largely driven by poor sanitation and failure to take simple preventive actions, such as washing hands after using the toilet or ensuring drinking water is safe,” Kiptoo notes. 

She adds that the worms affect children most, with transmission often linked to contaminated water and open defecation.

In the case of Bilharzia, she says the disease is sporadically reported, mostly linked to exposure to infected water sources among irrigating and fishing communities around Lake Naivasha.

To curb the infections, the county conducts routine deworming for children under five and school-going pupils every six months.

Awareness creation and school health programs are also being rolled out to strengthen prevention.

“In addition, we have sanitation programs running,” Kiptoo says.

“Our latrine coverage is generally good, but challenges remain at community level. Although 80 percent of Nakuru’s 1,984 villages have been declared open defecation free, about 20 percent still practice it.”

Beyond intestinal worms and Bilharzia, Nakuru also faces other neglected tropical diseases and related conditions. 

Director Elizabeth notes Cutaneous leishmaniasis is reported in Gilgil, particularly in Eburu Mbaruk and Kiptangwany near the Kambi Turkana caves. The disease, spread by sandflies, is confined to those areas but has also seen spillover from Nyandarua county.

Jigger infestations are prevalent in Subukia, while bedbugs are common in informal settlements such as Kaptembwa, Rhonda, and Bondeni.

Elizabeth says the county has procured drugs and established outreach programs for cutaneous leishmaniasis, alongside annual indoor residual spraying to control the sand fly vector.

She notes that cases have reduced significantly from around 400 in 2017 to between 50 and 70 to date, annually. 

For jiggers and bedbugs, the county is working with community health promoters to carry out spraying campaigns and raise awareness.

“We are on track in terms of management, but continued prevention and community engagement are critical in reducing the burden of neglected tropical diseases across the county,” she says.

She says the findings are drawn from a survey carried out in collaboration with the County Department of Health, the National Division of Vector-Borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases, and the Ministry of Education, which covered 11 sub-counties and 54 wards.