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Kenya

4 children hospitalised in Dadaab after Cholera outbreak

The first cholera outbreak reported in 2017 was in Tana River County. The outbreak started on 10 October 2016 and was controlled by April 2017. Photo/FILE.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 7- Four children aged between 13 and 16 are admitted to Dadaab sub-county hospital in Garissa County after suffering from cholera.

According to the county disease surveillance coordinator Hassan Elmi, the four who hail from Hagarbul location were rushed to hospital after symptoms of diarhoea persisted.

Elmi said three of the victims were subjected to a rapid diagnostic test, whose results turned positive for Cholera.

“Our fears have been confirmed and we shall send additional health workers to Hagarbul to support those on the ground,” Elmi told journalists.

Health workers in Hagarbul have directed to take precautionary measures to contain the disease.

Data compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that Kenya has experienced an upsurge of cholera cases since the beginning of 2017.

The first cholera outbreak reported in 2017 was in Tana River County. The outbreak started on 10 October 2016 and was controlled by April 2017.

A second wave of cholera outbreaks started in Garissa County on 2 April 2017 and was reported later in nine other counties including Nairobi, Murang’a, Vihiga, Mombasa, Turkana, Kericho, Nakuru, Kiambu, and Narok.

“The outbreak is being reported in the general population and in refugee camps,” a WHO report states.

In Garissa County, the report shows, the outbreak is affecting mainly Dadaab refugee camps and cases and deaths are being reported from Hagadera, Dagahaleh, and IFO2 camps. In Turkana County, the disease is also affecting Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee camps.

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Currently, the outbreak is active in two counties, namely Garissa and Nairobi. As of 17 July 2017, a total of 1216 suspected cases including 14 deaths (case fatality rate: 1.2%) have been reported since 1 January 2017. In the week ending 16 July 2017, a total of 38 cases with no deaths were reported.

WHO lists Cholera as a global burden, particularly in developing countries, with an estimated 2.8 million cases annually.

The burden of cholera is greatest in Africa and southern Asia, with about 99% of the cases.

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