NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 24 – The Ministry of Health says 78 people in fourteen counties have died of Cholera-related complications since October 8 last year.
Speaking during a press conference, Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha stated that 4,186 others have been hospitalised in the same period.
“Cholera is an acute illness with profuse watery diarrhea caused by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Cholera may cause severe acute watery diarrhea in some people who develop the disease, leading to severe dehydration and even death if not treated early,” she stated.
She explained that cholera transmission is linked to inadequate access to clean water and sanitation facilities.
“High-risk areas include slums and camps for internally displaced persons or refugees, where minimum requirements for clean water and sanitation are not adequate,” she indicated.
She also pointed out that the country has developed a National Multisectoral Cholera Elimination Plan, which has prioritized identified hotspots based on epidemiological and Water and Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) indicators.
“The plan has also adopted a whole government, whole society approach to cholera control, which integrates a combination of interventions including; Coordination, surveillance, WASH, Risk Communication and Community Engagement, Case Management and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), food safety and water quality control, and Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCV),” she said.
She indicated that to successfully implement the plan, strong partnerships are required to mobilize and deploy necessary resources.
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