Close to 200 students from Ng’iya Girls national school were Monday rushed to various health facilities in Siaya after a suspected dysentery outbreak hit the institution.
Health department and school sources said that the students started exhibiting the signs in the afternoon as several of them started complaining of stomachache and acute diarrhea.
Siaya county director of health, Dr. Kennedy Orwenjo confirmed the outbreak, saying that 192 girls had been diagnosed with dysentery.
He said the first student was attended to at the school dispensary shortly after 5pm but soon after, the number of students trooping in complaining of stomachache increased.
“Samples have been taken for further tests to establish whether it was amoebic or any other form of dysentery,” said the medic adding that of the 25 samples taken, five had blood stains in their stool while 12 had loose diarrhea.
Dr. Orwenjo said that though the presence of blood in the stool was an indication of dysentery, they will confirm it within three days after laboratory tests.
He said that only one student was transferred to the Aga Khan Hospital in Kisumu on request from her parents, as the rest were treated at the local hospitals.
The medic said that a team of public health officials have been dispatched to the school to investigate what could have caused the outbreak.
“We are not ruling out the issue of contamination,” he said adding that the public health officers will inspect, among other areas, food stores and dormitories for general sanitation.
School principal, Florence Kut said the students were in stable condition and called on parents and the students to remain calm.
By Philip Onyango
