The Karel Styblo Award was presented to Public Health and Sanitation PS Mark Bor in Nairobi on Wednesday for Kenya's efforts in fighting and controlling the spread of tuberculosis.

Speaking during the occasion, Mr Bor said the award was in recognition of Kenya?s achievement of World Health Organisation targets of TB case detection rate of 70 per cent and treatment success rate of 85 per cent.

?Reaching these targets has taken us more than 25 years since the national TB programme was launched in 1980 ... However, although we are proud of being among the few countries that have achieved these targets, the biggest challenge is in improving on this success so that all Kenyans in need of treatment access quality services and get cured,? the PS said in a speech he read on behalf of minister Beth Mugo.

Experts say TB cases are on the rise and that the disease is killing 74,000 Kenyans annually.

Children at risk

Children under the age of two years are particularly at risk because their bodies? natural defences are not strong, doctors say.

Of the 116,732 new TB cases reported in 2008, 12,839 were children, and this is bound to increase because of rising poverty and congestion at schools.

Kenya ranks number 13 on the list of 22 TB high-burden countries in the world. According to the World Health Organisation?s Global TB Control Report 2008, Kenya had more than 140,000 new TB cases.