MoH releases equipment to fight cholera in Asals

The Ministry of Health on Tuesday flagged off a consignment of medical supplies and equipment to mitigate the ongoing cholera outbreak.

The equipment procured by Unicef is valued at more than Sh120 million and is destined for the arid and semi-arid areas that have been worst hit by the ongoing prolonged drought.

They include 9,706 boxes of water purifiers such as chlorine, 175 boxes  of more than 2.8 million tablets of water purifiers, 257,782 bar soaps, 93,474 10-litre buckets, 94,275 20-litre jerrycans, 2,000kgs of aluminum sulphate and 147,741 pieces of printed and assorted cholera IEC materials.

Others include children formula for treatment of drought related bacterial infections such as acute watery kit-drug option to treat more than 60,000 people as well as health adult formula for treatment of drought related ailments.

Also contained in the consignment is an assortment of personal protective equipment such as goggles, 114 boxes of surgical masks, 380 pieces of aprons and rubber boots.

This comes even as the country continues to control a cholera outbreak that has seen at least 72 people die and 4,173 cases reported in 14 counties.

According to health DG Patrick Amoth, five counties have managed to control the outbreak while nine still have active cases.

"The cases are coming down and I am confident that with efforts from partners, we will soon put the situation under control," he said.

The 14 counties include Nairobi, Kiambu, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Kajiado, Murang’a, Machakos, Garissa, Meru, Nyeri, Wajir, Tana River, Kitui and Homa Bay.

Kajiado, Murang’a, Nyeri, and Uasin Gishu have controlled the outbreak.

“The resultant whole-of-society approach has yielded encouraging progress towards rapid containment of the outbreak,” health PS State department of Public Health Josephine Mburu said.

Cholera is an acute illness with profuse watery diarrhoea caused by the ingestion of food or water, contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.

It may cause severe acute watery diarrhoea in some people who develop the disease, leading to severe dehydration and even death if not treated early.