Kenya: Four die in new cholera outbreak

X-PASTER · 2010-03-25T09:25:54+00:00

Kenya: Four die in new cholera outbreak Four people have died and 226 others admitted in hospital in Kenya's Coastal town of Msambweni in a new wave of Cholera outbreak that has hit several parts of the country. This is the latest case to be reported after several others occurred in many parts that have been hit by the recent floods occasioned by heavy rains that have been pounding several parts of Kenya. According to the Coast Provincial Director of Public Health and Sanitation Anisa Omar, 16 specimens of the 226 cases have been taken, but only six are confirmed cholera cases. "So far, four people have died from cholera and not eight as reported by a section of the media. We have also identified 226 new cases of what we suspect to be cholera, but only 16 have turned out positive," said Dr Omar. She also added that two other people were reported dead, but the cases of their deaths have not been confirmed. She was speaking at Msambweni District Hospital when she visited with the District Health Committee. She disclosed that the first cholera case was reported on February 27, and was allegedly spread by a woman from Pemba in Tanzania. The woman is believed to have visited her relatives. Omar also said more than 17 schools in the district have been closed temporarily. "We have closed the schools because we have had cases of children with diarrhoea infection," she said. She said the spread could have also been caused by poor health standards, adding that the latrine coverage in the area is less than 30 per cent and the only source of water in some villages is a water pan, which is contaminated and can be among the cause of the cholera outbreak. A resident of the affected village-Vitsangaraweni-, Tyao Leli, who was drawing water from the water pan, said: "We use this water for washing and even cooking though sometimes we use disinfectants," said Leli. Meanwhile, fears of another outbreak of the disease have been heightened in the North Rift region of Turkana after flood waters killed two NGO workers and displaced hundreds of residents. The NGO workers drowned after their Toyota Land cruiser was swept away by the raging flood waters. Heavy rains are being experienced in the erstwhile dry area, and cholera cases have been reported in the neighbouring West Pokot District.

Thread starter X-PASTER
Start date Mar 25, 2010

X-PASTER

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Kenya: Four die in new cholera outbreak

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