The Ministry of Health (MoH) has confirmed 11 new cases of a strange disease among residents of South Mugirango Sub County in Kisii over the last 24 hours.
The illness whose symptoms range from fever, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhoea, has primarily affected eight villages with Amarondo village accounting for 64 percent of the reported cases.
In a statement sent to newsrooms, Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said the new cases had brought the total number of confirmed cases to 168.
“Preliminary laboratory investigations have confirmed contamination of water sources which is a significant contributor to the outbreak and hence making the water unsafe for consumption,” noted Ms. Muthoni.
The PS reiterated the need for urgent interventions to ensure the water is safe for consumption.
She said the Ministry had rolled out water treatment exercise, including the distribution of 44,350 aquatabs to the affected households in order to mitigate further spread of the disease.
Ms. Muthoni pointed out that community sensitisation efforts were underway with community health promoters (CHPs) conducting door-to-door sensitisation to educate the residents on safe water treatment and sanitation to improve hygiene standards.
“Additionally, mass deworming exercises are planned for school-going children to prevent further health complications,” she noted.
Last week, the MoH received an alert on the existence of the strange illness among the residents, with a high number of cases being recorded within the neighbouring health facilities in South Mugirango.
This prompted the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Health Department of Kisii officers to embark on a fact-finding mission to ascertain the cause of the strange disease.
Led by PS Muthoni, the team visited Amarondo, Nyabigege and Nyangiro villages and collected samples of drinking water from a nearby spring and several households and took them to the government chemist for further tests and analysis.
The PS urged the community members to refrain from using one of the springs suspected to have been contaminated with faecal matter during the visit.
Data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022 shows that 68 percent of Kenyans have access to safe drinking water.
In Kisii County, springs are the main source of water for many households. Unfortunately, many households in the area use unsafe water sources and do not treat their water before using it.
By Mercy Osongo
