4 children diagnosed with Cholera in Garissa county

A file photo of Hagadera secondary school. Hagarbul is the section where the four children diagnosed with cholera hail from. (Photo Courtesy)

GARISSA—Four children from Hagarbul admitted with diarrhoea at Dadaab Subcounty Hospital, Garissa county on Saturday have tested positive for cholera.

According to the county disease surveillance coordinator Hassan Elmi, the four aged between six and ten were diagnosed with cholera after samples collected from them were taken to Hagadera centre for test.

“This morning we have received results from Hagadera laboratory that the four have tested positive for cholera. Our fears have been confirmed and we shall send additional health workers to Hagarbul to support those on the ground,” Elmi told journalist yesterday.

Elmi advised the residents to maintain high standards of hygiene by boiling drinking water, washing their hands after visiting the latrine and eating inspected meat.

He said following an outbreak of the disease last year in Dadaab, the health department ordered for a stockpile of cholera emergency supplies that are still in the stores.

“We have enough emergency supplies to deal with the disease. We ordered a 10 tonne truck of the supplies last year. We believe it will be enough to deal with the Hagarbul cases,” Mr Elmi assured.

The CDSC said the health workers in Hagarbul have been alerted and are now taking precautionary measures to contain the disease.

The first cholera outbreak in Garissa County was reported on 2 April 2017 and a report from world health organisation(WHO) stated that Dadaab refugee camp was the most affected.

Garissa County health chief Mohammed Gure lauded the few health workers who managed to fight the disease despite many challenges including minimal resources and the fact that they were being surrounded by refugee camps with poor sanitation due to the big population.