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2009-03-18 NAIROBI, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government has issued an
alert following a cholera outbreak in various parts of the country,
which has claimed 25 lives, with 551 others having been treated for the
disease.
Public Health ministry director Shariff Shanaaz has called on people
to observe basic hygiene such as washing hands before and after eating
and visiting the toilet to avoid contracting the highly contagious disease. "Due to the acute water supply being experienced in various parts of
the country, sporadic cholera outbreaks are likely to occur. It is,
therefore, important for people to observe basic hygiene measures to
avoid contracting the killer disease," Dr Shanaaz said. According to the Daily Nation newspaper, the World Health
Organization has ranked Kenya among countries facing an acute health
crisis following the outbreak. The outbreak has affected eight districts in Nyanza, Rift Valley and
North Eastern provinces. The waterborne disease is transmitted mainly
through drinking contaminated water and unsanitary conditions. The country's top physician cited poor personal hygiene and drinking
of contaminated water as the main causes of the disease and appealed to
the public to observe proper hygiene and seek medical care immediately
they develop the symptoms. In February alone, 369 cholera cases were reported, resulting in 16
deaths. Dr Shanaaz said following the outbreak, public health officials
had stepped up awareness campaigns in affected areas, adding that
supplies of chlorine powder and tablets to treat drinking water had been
sent out. In Nandi South District, Rift Valley province, use of contaminated
water has been blamed for the outbreak, which has claimed the lives of
three people. Rift Valley provincial public health officer Isaac Ruto said many
families in areas where the outbreak was reported did not have pit
latrines at their homes, adding that they relieved themselves in forests. In Nyanza, the situation is not as bad as it has been portrayed, the
provincial medical officer, Dr. Jackson Kioko, has said. He dismissed
reports that the province was badly hit by the disease, with about 15
deaths reported in the province last month. He said the 365 cases reported for the province dated back to last
year, adding that only five suspected cases of cholera had been reported
in the region since the beginning of the week. Cholera is a waterborne disease and causes serious diarrhea and
vomiting. The disease can be fatal if it is not treated within 24 hours. Spread of the disease can be prevented by avoiding contaminated
drinking water, and practicing proper hand washing before touching food.
Southern Sudan also reported an increase in cholera cases recently.
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