Public Health advocates from Nakuru County are calling on devolved units to devote resources to Tuberculosis awareness campaigns and adequate housing in an effort to scale down new infections.
The call coming in the wake of an unsettling National Health survey that ranked Nakuru at position four among Counties with the highest Tuberculosis prevalence.
Kenya ranks highly among countries with the highest Tuberculosis related infections in Africa.
Stop TB Partnership Kenya Chief National Coordinator, Evelyn Kibuchi attributes the obtaining situation to lack of awareness that she says hinders effective TB treatment.
Get breaking news on your Mobile as-it-happens. SMS ‘NEWS’ to 20153
She says profound stigma associated with TB holds back 40 per cent of victims from seeking treatment who unknowingly end up infecting others.
Kibuchi observes that lack of commitment to standard housing policies by authorities in urban areas lead to proliferation of poorly ventilated houses which is a catalyst for the spread of the airborne bacteria.
Lung specialist Dr. Jane Rahindi advises people experiencing TB symptoms to seek medical care that she says is free.
Kisumu, Mombasa, Meru, Kiambu,Kisumu and Nairobi counties are other regions where TB infections remains high.
The World Health Organization Global TB 2014 report indicate that 1.5 million people died of the infectious disease with 60 people dying of TB every day in Kenya and approximately 99,000 new infections annually.