At least 59 cases of Cholera have been confirmed in Tana River County as the national government embarked on a campaign to curb the spread of the highly contagious disease.
Tana River Executive Committee Member for Health Mr. Javan Bonaya said most of the patients are hospitalized in various health facilities ranging in age from four months to 70 years.
Bonaya said the cases reported so far are in Madogo Division in Bangale Sub County but assured that all the affected people were in stable condition with at least six of the cases at Madogo hospital treated and discharged.
He told a media briefing at Hola County Referral Hospital, that the cases were detected after a 13-year-old Kenya Certificate of Primary Education candidate at Boji primary school failed to sit for the exam paper after it emerged that he had succumbed to cholera-related complications the previous day.
Speaking at the same time, Tana River County Director of Education Mr. Isaac Khalif said, four KCPE candidates at Boji primary school in Madogo were forced to sit for their examination papers while admitted in Hospital after testing positive to the waterborne disease
He appealed to school head teachers to ensure that their school compounds were clean in particular secondary schools where the Kenya Certificate for Secondary Education Examination was underway to ensure the disease was contained.
Health officials on the other hand have appealed to area residents to observe cleanliness and ensure that all drinking water was boiled to avoid the spread of cholera in the County.
By Simon Guruba
