Background: Late-stage blinding sequalae of trachoma such as trachomatous trichiasis (TT) typically take decades to develop and often do so in the absence of ongoing ocular infection. This suggests that most TT risk accumulates in early life; as a result, population-level TT incidence and prevalence can remain high years after transmission among children has decreased. In Embu and Kitui counties, Kenya, the prevalence of trachomatous inflammation - follicular is low in children. In this survey, we set out to determine the prevalence of TT in ten evaluation units (EUs) in these counties.
Methods: We undertook ten cross-sectional prevalence surveys for TT. In each EU, people aged ≥15 years were selected by a two-stage cluster sampling method and examined for TT. Those with TT were asked questions on whether they had been offered management for it. Prevalence was adjusted to the underlying age and gender structure of the population.
Results: A total of 18,987 people aged ≥15 years were examined. Per EU, the median number of examined participants was 1,656 (range: 1,451 - 3,016) and median response rate was 86% (range: 81 - 95%). The prevalence of TT unknown to the health system in people aged ≥15 years was above the threshold for elimination (≥0.2%) in all ten EUs studied (range: 0.2-0.7%). TT was significantly more common in older than younger individuals and in women than in men.
Discussion: Provision of surgical services should be strengthened in Embu and Kitui counties of Kenya to achieve the World Health Organization threshold for eliminating TT as a public health problem.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09286586.2021.1986549 | DOI Listing |
Heliyon
September 2024
Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Biotechnology, Kenyatta University, P.O. Box 43844-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Maize production under low-input agricultural systems in semi-arid areas of Sub-Saharan Africa faces significant challenges, primarily stemming from the synergistic impacts of climate variability and suboptimal agronomic practices. Harnessing soil microbiota, particularly arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), represents a pivotal strategy for bolstering low-input systems. However, their functional utility is contingent upon their compatibility with the prevailing environmental conditions and biotic interactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Food Prot
October 2023
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1302 W Pennsylvania Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Electronic address:
Fusarium species infect maize crops leading to the production of fumonisin by their toxigenic members. Elimination of microbes is critical in mitigating further postharvest spoilage and toxin accumulation. The current study investigates the efficacy of a previously described multispectral sorting technique to analyze the reduction of fumonisin and toxigenic Fusarium species found contaminating maize kernels in Kenya.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
September 2022
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Embu, Embu, Kenya.
Crotalaria is a plant genus that is found all over the world, with over 700 species of herbs and shrubs. The species are potential alternative food and industrial crops due to their adaptability to different environments. Currently, information on the genetic diversity and population structure of these species is scanty.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Genet Eng Biotechnol
July 2022
Department of Forestry and Land Resources Management, South Eastern Kenya University, P.O. Box 170, Kitui, -90200, Kenya.
Background: Global food supply is highly dependent on field crop production that is currently severely threatened by changing climate, poor soil quality, abiotic, and biotic stresses. For instance, one of the major challenges to sustainable crop production in most developing countries is limited nitrogen in the soil. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation of legumes such as soybean (Glycine max (L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOphthalmic Epidemiol
December 2023
Neglected Tropical Diseases Unit, Ministry of Health, Nairobi, Kenya.
Background: Late-stage blinding sequalae of trachoma such as trachomatous trichiasis (TT) typically take decades to develop and often do so in the absence of ongoing ocular infection. This suggests that most TT risk accumulates in early life; as a result, population-level TT incidence and prevalence can remain high years after transmission among children has decreased. In Embu and Kitui counties, Kenya, the prevalence of trachomatous inflammation - follicular is low in children.
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