Three admitted as Migori County confirms cholera cases

 

Migori County has confirmed a cholera outbreak after the nearby country of Tanzania reported its first case in the Tarime area a month ago.

On Monday, county Deputy Governor Gimunta Mahiri in a press conference at the Referral Hospital said tests turned positive for the deadly disease.

“The County has confirmed cholera and three patients have been admitted at Kehancha sub-county hospital,” he said.

He said about a week ago, the county was on high alert when a suspected case of cholera was reported after a resident from Bugumbe village had crossed over to the Bunda area in Tanzania for a funeral.

He showed cholera symptoms while across the border where he was treated and the symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting started again when he was in Kenya.

County health services executive Awuor Nyerere said they are on high alert as they have put in place community health volunteers, ward admins, village elders, chiefs and their assistants to help in reporting cases and tracing contacts.

The two said the department undertook an audit of human resources where they sent home 95 casual workers “to rationalize the workforce for optimum delivery in health care,’ Gimunta said.

"They were told to leave since the current county budget could not sustain their continued engagement,” he said.

“The county commits to pay all the casuals who were disengaged as soon as possible and commits to ensuring that quality healthcare is delivered to citizens.”

He said the county has engaged in week-long distribution of medicine to all health facilities across all 40 wards saying they have also equipped 15 dispensaries with medical equipment, water and solar panels in the Kuria area to boost health provision.

The seven dispensaries in the Kuria East sub-county and eight in Kuria West were in dire need of upgrade and some were newly built in strategic places.

by MANUEL ODENY