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Three million people were treated for urinary tract infections (UTIs), which spread heavily through sexual intercourse and poor hygiene, following one million new cases in 2022.
A report by the National Economic Survey said that this made UTI the fastest-spreading disease since two million people were treated in 2021.
"In 2018, around 2,188,576 people were treated for urinary tract infections. In 2019, we had 2,517,536 patients, and in 2020, we had 2,490,689 patients.
However, in 2021 and 2022, around 2,567,446 and 3,450,908 were treated, respectively," the 2022 Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) Economic Survey released on Wednesday by Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u indicates.
The survey, which guides the Cabinet on the development agenda of the nation, said that the total number of cases of diseases reported in health facilities decreased by 6.9 per cent from 94.3 million in 2021 to 87.8 million in 2022.
The report said that respiratory system diseases accounted for the highest number of people affected at 17,097,190, followed by malaria at 10,246,343 the same year. Skin diseases come in third with 8,920,037 patients, while diarrhea diseases have 4,080,265 patients.
"The total cases of diseases reported in health facilities decreased by 6.9 per cent from 94.3 million in 2021 to 87.8 million in 2022. Diseases of the respiratory system accounted for the highest disease caseload at 19.5 per cent, followed by malaria at 11.7 per cent in 2022," the report said.
It added: "Despite these two contributing the highest disease caseload, there was a decline in the reported number of cases in 2022."
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UTI comes in fourth with a 10.9 per cent increase in 2022 compared to a 3.9 per cent increase in 2021, making it the fourth-largest disease treated in the country.
The US Health Department, through the Center for Disease and Infection, states that UTIs are common infections that happen when bacteria enter the urethra and infect the urinary tract.
It adds that the symptoms include pain or burning while urinating, frequent urination, Feeling the need to urinate despite having an empty bladder, Bloody urine, and pressure or cramping in the groin or lower abdomen.
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