7 people, including a child have been reported dead, while 134 others have been hospitalized in Illeret Ward, Marsabit County following Cholera outbreak.
This has been confirmed by County Health Executive Jama Wolde who added that out of the 7, two died in hospital while the other 5 died in different villages.
“We can confirm that the illness that has killed seven people in Illeret Ward is cholera after carrying out rapid tests,” Dr Wolde said.
Further, Wolde accounted that all the casualties bore the symptoms of Cholera such as diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration.
Read: List of 12 Counties Put On High Alert Over Cholera Outbreak
Reports link the outbreak to the interaction of locals with netizens from Bubua, a town neighboring Ethiopia which about a week ago was the epicenter of the disease.
According to the Health CEC, health centers have been established in the region to aid in calming the situation.
This outbreak comes in at a time where there is a global Coronavirus Pandemic with the country recording 384 confirmed cases, 129 recoveries and 15 fatalities.
Marsabit county, for instance has initiated measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 by closing its borders.
Read Also: Matiang’i Bans Movement In, Out Of Mandera Starting 7 Pm As Cases Of COVID-19 Rise
In a Tuesday media address, Governor Mohamud Ali announced the closure of its border was as a result of bordering Wajir County blocking visitors traveling from Mandera. This was after the Ministry of Health reported COVID-19 cases in Mandera.
“This is why we have now made the decision to close all the designated border points between Marsabit and Mandera with immediate effect,” said governor Ali.
Further, the Interior CS Fred Matiang’i banned the movement in and out of Mandera County to curb further spread of the deadly virus.
Read Also: Judiciary Suspends Operations In Mandera Over “Insecurity”
As on April 22, Mandera county had 8 confirmed cases posing a threat to the Northern regions. Also, people were reported to have escaped from a quarantine facility in the county, making the situation more complicated.
Mandera became the fifth country to have initiated a ban of movement in and out of the county, adding to Kilifi, Kwale Mombasa and Nairobi that were earlier announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
In a daily briefing earlier in April, the Health Ministry had called upon counties to be vigilant against the outbreak of Cholera and urged residents to treat water before drinking and maintain general hygiene.
The counties noted to be on high alert were Garissa, Nairobi, Machakos and Kajiado.
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