A cholera outbreak in Kenya has killed 59 people and lef t 1,200 people hospitalised over the last two months, affecting 16 different districts across northern and western Kenya, medical authorities confirmed on Thursday.
Kenyan Director of Medical Services James Nyikal said since the first case was cited in January, the cholera outbreak has spread across the country as a result of poor sanitation and was partly fueled by heavy rains reported in parts of the country.
“There is no reason why every homestead should not have a toilet and use it,” Nyikal said.
The Kenyan government has, in the meantime, slapped a ban on the hawking of food at market places to avoid the spread of the disease, which remains a threat to t he public health system across Africa despite efforts to eliminate it.
It is not clear where the new outbreak originated from but medical sources said the disease may have spread from northern Kenya.
Southern Sudan has recently reported an upsurge of cholera.
World Health Organisation officials said there was the need for a campaign to encourage people in the vulnerable areas to wash hands after every visit to the toilet.
