Talks to seek ways of fighting cholera

A conference to deliberate on ways to curb the spread of cholera will be held on Thursday.

The meeting will be attended by players in the health sector, including representatives from the 47 counties, and other ministries.

“Each county is expected to send the county director for health and the officer in charge of disease surveillance,” said Dr Ian Njeru, the head of the Division of Disease Surveillance and Response.

In an interview, Dr Njeru warned that the disease could spread to other counties, and urged the public to uphold high standards of hygiene.

“Don’t eat cold food. It should be hot. If it is not possible to make it hot, just forget about it. If you are travelling, make sure you eat in a hygienic restaurant. Always make sure you wash your hands before eating,” he said.

“We have distributed medical supplies to the other counties because they, too, could be affected,” he added.

This comes as new cases were reported in Migori and Taita-Taveta. By last week, new infections in Taita-Taveta had been controlled, according to the Ministry of Health.

“We are yet to receive official information from the counties about the reported cases,” said Dr Njeru.

EXHIBITED SYMPTOMS

On Monday, it was reported that at least 25 people were admitted to hospital in Migori and 12 others in Taita-Taveta, after they exhibited cholera-like symptoms as the disease spreads to new regions.

Eight cases were reported last week in Baringo. In Kirinyaga, the number of cases soared to 52 at the end of last week, up from 10 at the beginning.

In Nairobi, two people who had shown cholera symptoms died on Monday in Embakasi while seven other patients were admitted to Mama Lucy Hospital in Kayole.

“It doesn’t mean they had cholera. The cases are yet to be confirmed. However, we are not taking chances and we are doing contact tracing,” said a Nairobi County health official who cannot be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media.

He said new areas in the county that have reported cholera infections are Mihang’o, Lindi and Mukuru kwa Reuben, all in Embakasi, and Muthurwa, where several cases were reported at the end of last week.

However, the spread of the disease is declining in Kibera, which had the highest number of reported cases in Nairobi.

At the same time, Embu County Commissioner Amos Gatheca has banned food hawking after more than 120 people were diagnosed with cholera.

He said the water-borne disease, which has so far claimed the life of one elderly man, was spreading quickly.

The county had taken measures to curb the spread of the disease, he added.

Mr Gathecha urged residents, especially those in the arid and semi-arid Mbeere region, to be vigilant and observe personal hygiene.