World Kidney Day celebrations start with awareness walk from KNH

Kenya on Thursday started the World Kidney Day celebration with an awareness walk.

The walk which was flagged off by the Head of the Directorate of Non-communicable diseases at the Ministry of Health started at the Kenyatta National Hospital and went through Ngong Road, Mbagathi Road, and Link Road before connecting back to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

The day is celebrated every second Thursday in March with an aim of increasing awareness of the importance of kidneys to health and reducing the impact of kidney disease and its associated problems worldwide.

According to the Ministry of Health, Kidney disease is projected to become the fifth leading cause of premature deaths globally by 2040 if nothing is done to curb the situation.

It is further estimated that almost 500,000 Kenyans are living with chronic kidney disease.

Currently, more than 5,000 patients are on dialysis in Kenya.

Kidney transplant is the treatment of choice for end-stage Kidney disease but the onset and progression of chronic kidney disease are often preventable.

This year, the day is celebrated under the theme, 'Preparing for the unexpected, supporting the vulnerable'.