Starehe Girls students sent home after mysterious disease outbreak

Students from Starehe Girls Centre have been sent home after an outbreak of an unknown disease that saw 52 of them quarantined.

A statement from the school board said the closure follows a directive from the Ministry of Health.

“Dear Parent/Guardian, further to the previous communications to you on the health situation in the school, you are hereby informed that all students will get a short break. Please make arrangements to pick your daughter immediately and not later than 12 noon today (Thursday),” the statement reads.

Reports indicate that samples from the affected students have been taken for analysis at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI).

On Tuesday, the school had released a statement that revealed symptoms of those affected as high-pitched cough, sneezing, and low grade fever.

The parents of the isolated 52 girls are said to have been informed of the quarantine.

“We are working with the Health ministry, department of Integrated Disease Surveillance Response (IDSR) and sub-county health department through the Ruaraka Sub-County health team as well as volunteer doctors from the old Starehian Society to ascertain the cause and contain the situation,” the statement reads.