Disease crisis deepens as more cases reported in Naivasha, Wajir

Medical workers in Naivasha are still battling with new cholera cases, with the number of confirmed ones reaching 11 as of Tuesday.

Senior medical personnel in Naivasha said out of the 19 suspected cases, 11 had been confirmed through laboratory tests.   

And, by the time of going to press, senior public health officials were holed up in a crisis meeting working on modalities of battling the disease.

The official said there were “pockets” where the disease was diagnosed at the sprawling Kihoto estate, with initial investigations indicating the use of contaminated water might have led to the increase.

Last week, Nakuru County Disease Surveillance Officer Elizabeth Kiptoo urged clinicians to conduct thorough screening on patients coming from affected areas.

She also confirmed the infections had increased, causing anxiety among the residents of the densely populated estate.

“Three of them were taking care of their sick ones, while two others went to hospital complaining of diarrhoea,” she said of the victims.

Ms Kiptoo said some cases “were mild”, hence the need for thorough screening.

“We are still battling with disease and carrying out the necessary preventative measures, given that majority of those affected are close family members and residing in the same locality,’ said Ms Kiptoo.

Initially, four cholera patients were treated at the Naivasha sub-county hospital and three of them were discharged.  

One of the patients had travelled to Migori, with Ms Kiptoo saying they suspected she contracted the disease there before returning to Naivasha.

Meanwhile, the cholera outbreak in Sarif, Wajir South constituency, has claimed 45 lives, while more than 2,000 people have been affected. Local leaders said the situation was worsening by the day.

Speaking to the Nation on Monday, Wajir South MP Abdullahi Diriye said medics and county health officials were overwhelmed by the number of people displaying signs of the disease who were seeking treatment.

He said health facilities were overcrowded and appealed to the national government and international community to contain the situation.

“Earlier this week when I was at Sarif, medics assured me they were up to task to contain the outbreak and that they have enough supplies from the county. Despite these assurances, the number of those admitted has gone up in the past 24 hours,” Mr Diriye said on phone.

However, Wajir County epidemiologist, Dr Adam Haji, said the situation was under control and there was no cause for alarm as cholera treatment centres had been set up at Sarif, which has been the most affected.

He said the cholera infection started in Wajir in July last year and 45 patients had so far died.

Wajir Public Health Chief Officer Abdullahi Hassan Maalim said the health management team had set up camps to monitor the disease.