By The Plu Correspondent
Relentless outbreaks of cholera and chikungunya has hit hard Mandera County as more patients are brought in for admission overstretching the already moribund medical services.
At least 11 people have so far died of cholera and close to 800 patients suffering from the deadly disease are admitted in various health facilities.
According to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international independent medical humanitarian organization, the outbreak is mainly concentrated in Mandera Township, home to around 90,000 people.
The double outbreak of cholera and chikungunya has overwhelmed the main referral hospital seemingly creating a situation of dire need for patients falling in due to the outbreaks.
“Mandera Referral Hospital has been quickly overwhelmed with cholera patients, and teams from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are now urgently supporting the Ministry of Health to respond”
The medical agency said, an outbreak of chikungunya has compounded the cholera crisis in the border county.
“An outbreak of chikungunya – with symptoms such as high fever, joint pain, rash and headache – is adding pressure to the cholera response”
Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes including Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Symptoms can last for two to three days. Although the disease is rarely fatal, the virus remains in the human system for five to seven days.
According to Standard Newspaper Mandera Chief Officer of Health Mariam Dahir said over 540 patients infected with the mosquito-borne disease are being admitted in several public health centres. But Ministry of Health Principal Secretary Nicholas Muraguri said the number was much lower than the one given by the county health officers.
Kenya Institute of Medical Research (Kemri) first confirmed the Chikungunya outbreak on May 16. Kemri attributed increased cases of chikungunya to the virulent nature of the virus, which multiplies in areas with high temperatures. The mosquito transmitting the disease “displays a unique biting habit”, it said. “It bites during the daytime, peaking its activity in the early morning and late afternoon,” said Kemri’s acting Director Rosemary Sang.
Over the past few months, cholera has snowballed into a monster headache for residents in Mandera who are already grappling with lack of access to proper health care.
