At least 62 Eregi Girls High School students are hospitalised in various hospitals in Kakamega county over an undisclosed illness.
Sources privy to the situation told the Star that 30 students are admitted to Kakamega Level Five Hospitals, 20 to Shibwe Level Four Hospital and 12 to Iguhu Level Four Hospital.
"The students are suffering from a disease that has paralysed their legs and most of them are unable to walk," the Source told the Star.
The number of students affected is likely to rise with more students reported being rushed to the hospital.
A medic at Ihugu Hospital told the Star that initial laboratory tests had revealed that the students had elevated electrolytes, meaning that they had lost fluids.
Electrolytes are essential for basic life functioning, such as maintaining electrical neutrality in human body cells and generating and conducting action potentials in the nerves and muscles.
Prolonged or severe diarrhoea and sweating can result in the loss of electrolytes.
“As I speak to you know, the facility is already overstretched and we are calling for support with other smaller facilities,” the medical who declined to be named told the Star on the phone.
Iguhu’s capacity is about 50 patients.
A nurse at the Kakamega General Hospital said that more students were being brought in but laboratory work had not been done.
This writer has also established that samples have been taken from the students and taken to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) for examinations.
KEMRI officers are also expected a the school Tuesday morning to assess the situation.
