Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of active trachoma (TF) in children aged one to nine years
and potentially blinding trachoma (TT) in adults aged 15 years and older in six known trachomaendemic
districts in Kenya.
Design: Community based survey.
Setting: Six known trachoma endemic districts in Kenya (Samburu, Narok, West Pokot, Kajiado
Baringo and Meru North).
Subjects: A total of 6,982 children aged one to nine years and 8,045 adults aged 15 years and older
were randomly selected in a two stage random cluster sampling method: Twenty sub-locations
(clusters) per district and three villages per sub-location were randomly selected. Eligible children
and adults were enumerated and examined for signs of trachoma.
Results: Blinding trachoma was found to be a public health problem in all the surveyed districts.
Active trachoma was a district wide public health problem in four districts (Samburu, Narok,
West Pokot and Kajiado) and only in some of the sub-locations of the other two (Baringo and
Meru North).
Conclusions: There is need for district trachoma control programmes preferably using the WHO
recommended SAFE strategy in all the surveyed districts. Extrapolation of these survey results to
the entire country could not be justified. There is need to survey the remaining 12 suspected endemic
districts in Kenya.