An outbreak of kala-azar disease in Tharaka North has claimed at least five people.
In the past few months, 33 people have been diagnosed with the infectious disease caused by leishmania parasites and only six have been successfully treated.
Health executive Dr Gichuyia Nthuraku said: “The number could be higher because some residents who associate it with witchcraft are not willing to come out.”
The affected areas are; Kathangacini, Kamaguna, Twanthanju and Gatunga with the most hit being Kathangacini with 11 cases.
Dr Nthuraku said the situation is difficult because the county has no treatment centre for the disease forcing the patients to seek treatment in the neighbouring Kitui, Meru, Embu and Isiolo counties.
In Tseikuru Hospital in Kitui County, six patients have been successfully treated while five are still receiving treatment.
Some of the patients told the media that they are being turned away in some counties and urged the Tharaka Nithi County government to move with speed and start offering the treatment to avert more deaths.
“We are being told to go back to our county. More than 10 people have died and silently buried because people think they are cases of witchcraft,” said Mr James Mutegi, a patient.
Dr Nthuraku said with the help of officers from the Ministry of Health Department of the Neglected Tropical Disease Unit are combing the villages looking for the sick to ensure they get treatment.
“The Ministry of Health will be conducting a healthcare workers’ training on treatment of the disease from November 8, and subsequently set up a treatment centre at Marimanti Hospital,” he said.
The official said their investigations have revealed that most of the affected are those who chase elephants from their farms along the Ura River that borders the region to Meru National Park at night.
He added that there are also several anti-hills some within the homesteads which house the parasites and children like playing there.
He said an exercise of destroying and clearing the vector bleeding areas near homesteads would start soon.
The disease is transmitted through the infective bite of the phlebotomine sandflies and at least 95 per cent of the victims die if not treated.
Some of the disease symptoms are fever, progressive weight loss, body weakness, enlargement of the spleen and dry skin.
Mr John Ntamucege, 80, told journalists that Kala-azar disease was common in the region back in the 1970s and used to kill many people.
He said the sandflies could have been brought by herders from the neighbouring Garissa County who have been coming to the areas with thousands of livestock to look for pasture. BY DAILY NATION