Silence the Silent Killer 'High Blood Pressure'

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2018, the prevalence of hypertension (high blood pressure) in Kenya was estimated to be 25% among adults aged 18 and older. This means that approximately 7 million Kenyan adults have high blood pressure. 

Hypertension is a significant health concern in Kenya, and it is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. The risk of hypertension increases with age, and it is more common in men than women in Kenya. 

Within this first quarter, we screened 2,503 community members through our Community Health Volunteer (CHV) program; 487 had high blood pressure and were referred to link facilities for further check-ups. We have also screened an additional 334 clients in our office clinic. 

We have also expanded our hypertension program to cover an additional sub-county, Igamba Ng’ombe, and provided 86 blood pressure machines to the CHVs to intensify community-based hypertension screening. 395 CHVs in this sub-county received refresher blood pressure training, causes of hypertension, prevention, and management. 

HopeCore conducts routine field-based support supervision for all CHVs in the program. Support supervision ensures that the CHVs deliver proper, high-quality health education in their communities. HopeCore's Community Health Officers identify CHVs’ weaknesses and offer guidance and coaching. This is crucial, especially for the hypertension program, as it ensures the correct and up-to-date information is being delivered to the communities and accurate blood pressure screening and interpretation. 546 support supervision visits were conducted during this quarter. 

We aim to ensure 100% hypertension screening coverage in Tharaka Nithi County by providing all Community Health Volunteers with a blood pressure machine by December 2025.