Cholera kills 3 in Kenya
2005-06-10 19:31
Nairobi - A cholera outbreak in a slum in the Kenyan capital has killed at least three people this week, prompting the creation of government intervention teams to halt its spread, says the country's top physician on Friday.
Kenya's director of medical services, James Nyikal, said in addition to the deaths, at least 64 people had shown symptoms of the potentially fatal disease in Nairobi's Eastleigh residential district.
He said: "This outbreak has been confirmed to be cholera. So far, 64 cases have been seen, six admitted to hospital and three suspected cases have died."
Nyikal said to fight the outbreak, the government would provide free treatment for cholera cases, improve sanitation in the area, ban food hawking, stop the illegal brewing of liquor and intensify a health education campaign.
He said: "Any person who develops diarrhoea should seek medical attention from the nearest health facility", urging the public to work with medical teams to prevent further spread of the disease.
Cholera was a waterborne disease, which caused serious diarrhoea and vomiting and could be fatal if not treated within 24 hours.
It could be prevented by washing hands before handling food and avoiding contaminated drinking water.