Meningitis breaks out in Kenya

2006-02-07 13:40

Nairobi - At least 12 people have died in the past two weeks from an outbreak of meningitis in drought-stricken northern Kenya, officials said on Tuesday, warning of an epidemic of the fatal disease.

Kenya's health ministry reported 57 cases of meningitis, 12 of them fatal, since late January in West Pokot district near the border with Uganda, which is also struggling to contain an outbreak that has killed 11 people.

"If action is not taken, this can spread fast," said Thomas Ogaro, head of the ministry's communicable disease division.

West Pokot, about 500km northwest of Nairobi, is inhabited by nomadic pastoralists badly hit by the drought that threatens millions with starvation across east Africa.

Herders were forced to move further than usual in search of water and pasture for their livestock, which increased the chances of the illness spreading, he said.

The government has sent medical supplies and a team of specialists to West Pokot, although local leaders say the response is not adequate and dispute the official death toll.

"The disease is rampant," Ibrahim Domongole, pastor of the Kasei African Inland Church, told AFP, adding that at least 30 people had died from meningitis.

"The government says it is contained but it is not," he said.

Meningitis, a bacterial infection of the brain and spine, spreads through direct contact.

The outbreak is thought to have spread to Kenya from Uganda where, according to official figures, 142 people have been affected, 11 of whom have died.

Common symptoms include headache, fever and vomiting. Despite early diagnosis and treatment nearly 10% of cases are fatal.

However, treatment for many in remote areas was difficult as access to clinics was limited and large numbers of people suffering from malnutrition were unfit to travel to hospitals, Domongole said.

- AFP