Migori County is on high alert after several cases of cholera outbreaks were reported in the neighbouring county of Homabay.
Migori County Public Health Director Dancan Arunda said that so far the county has no reported cases of cholera.
Arunda said that the county was on a high alert and already the health department has put in place several preventive measures in case of the outbreak.
He noted that the community health workers and volunteers in all the health sectors in the county have been sensitised through community surveillance programme in case of an outbreak.
The medic emphasised that community health workers play a bigger role in the health sector, especially in rural areas and urged them to report any suspicious cases through community surveillance.
The short droughts has instituted the county to put preventive measures through water point treatment to ensure that the water bodies are not contaminated.
Arunda added that the community health volunteers will also sensitise the community on the need to treat home based water points to prevent cholera outbreaks.
Migori has a 95 percent latrine coverage making it one of the key factors that has greatly contributed to hygienic conditions in the county. The community has also been encouraged to observe the hygiene requirements that they used to observe during the Covid 19.
The official explained that health public officers have already started conducting sanitation inspections at eatery places and markets to ensure the set hygiene meets the required standards.
“We will ensure that food handling is tested and certification of food handlers is reviewed to ensure that they meet all the necessary health measures”, said Arunda.
He however, called upon the urban residents to invest in septic tanks to help properly manage their waste disposals and improve the county on the urban hygienic mechanisms.
In 2015 the county was hit hard by cholera outbreak with low latrine coverage one of the major contributing factor to the spread of the disease. Arunda affirmed that the County statistics of 2020 showed a 95 percent latrine coverage that has greatly improved sanitation and reduced waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid in the county.
By Geoffrey Makokha
