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Seven die, 134 treated after cholera outbreak in northern Kenya

Thursday April 30 2020
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Marsabit County Health Executive Jamma Wolde who on April 30, 2020 confirmed that seven people have as a result of a cholera outbreak in Illeret. PHOTO | JACOB WALTER | NATION MEDIA GROUP

By NATION AFRICA

Seven people have died following a cholera in North Horr in Marsabit County, northern Kenya.

County Health Executive Jama Wolde Thursday said two people died in hospital while the other five died in different villages. A child is among the casualties.

Another 134 people have been treated and discharged since Tuesday.

“We can confirm that the illness that has killed seven people in Illeret Ward is cholera after carrying out rapid tests,” Dr Wolde said.

All the casualties exhibited cholera symptoms such as vomiting, watery diarrhoea in large volumes and dehydration.

The outbreak has been attributed to the interaction of the locals with the residents of Bubua in neighbouring Ethiopia where the disease was reported a week ago.

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According to Dr Wolde, two cholera treatment centres have been established at Illeret and Teresagai health centres.

Low standards of hygiene have contributed to the spread of the disease.

He said took time to be mitigated due to the acute shortage of human resource at the two health centres.

Dr Wolde explained that the two facilities have only one nurse each.

He said systems have been put in place to avert further loss of lives and a team of experts, comprising eight nurses and nutritionists, has been dispatched to the area.

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