Fears of new cholera outbreak
2008-03-31 16:16
Nairobi - Cholera killed at least 39 people in western Kenya in recent weeks and medical services feared a fresh outbreak, a senior health official said on Sunday.
Official figures showed there had been 468 reported cholera cases, of which 123 tested positive, including the 39 fatalities in the region, said Nyanza provincial medical chief Jackson Kioko.
The number of cases had since dropped, but authorities were still vigilant because rains had worsened sanitation in the region, he told a local television station.
Officials feared that recent flash floods, which had swept away several pit latrines, would start a new outbreak in the area.
Health experts warned of possible disease outbreaks in camps housing hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the violence caused by the disputed presidential elections which took place in December last year.
Cholera is a waterborne disease which causes serious diarrhoea and vomiting and can be fatal if not treated within 24 hours.
It can be prevented by washing hands before handling food and avoiding contaminated drinking water.