Two more people die of cholera in Mandera as death toll rises

Two more people died of Cholera in Mandera County Saturday night bringing the death toll to 14.

According to County Health Director Dr Andi Maalim Isaac, of the 14 who have died, three are children while 11 are adults.

Over 800 people have also been hospitalised, 91 in critical condition, in what appears to be one of the most calamitous outbreaks in recent time.

Maalim also stated that 500 people have so far been hospitalised over the newly discovered Chikungunya virus in the county.

The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) has accused the Ministry of Health for not acting swiftly to address Cholera outbreak in Mandera County and other parts of the country.

The Union stated that the country has lost 230 people to cholera with 14,000 being infected in about 18 counties in the country since 2015.

“The gesture of disbursing drugs and medical equipment to fight cholera by the ministry of health without providing the technical human resource is a political gimmick and an insult to the suffering Kenyans,” read the statement in part.

According to KUCO, the failure to contain such manageable infectious diseases clearly demonstrates misplaced priorities by the counties, and an uncoordinated effort by the National government –indications of a failure in public health and emergency responses systems in the counties.

@benjaminwafula