Abstract:
The parasitic skin disease tungiasis (caused by the sand flea Tunga penetrans) occurs in
resource-poor communities in Latin America, the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Information on prevalence and risk factors for infestation is nonexistent in Kenya. To fill this
gap, a cross-sectional study was undertaken in Murang’a South district, central Kenya. A total of
385 randomly selected households were visited. Pretested questionnaires were administered to
household heads. The most vulnerable age group (5-12 years) was examined for the presence of
tungiasis. The prevalence of tungiasis was 57% (95% confidence interval = 51.7%-61.6%), and
slightly higher in males (59.2%) than in females (54.8%; P=0.4). Itching (89.1%) was the most
common symptom, followed by pain upon pressure (67.3%), sleep disturbance (58.2%) and
walking difficulties (53%). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the highest chance for
infestation was detected for individuals living in houses with an earthen floor (adjusted
OR=3.84; 95% confidence interval: 2.09-7.06), followed by knowledge on treatment (3.56; 1.17-
10.84) having a common resting place (2.36; 1.01-5.51) and walking barefoot (3.28; 1.78-6.04).
Tungiasis is highly endemic in rural central Kenya and associated with modifiable risk factors
that may be used as targets for effective interventions.
