Nairobi County has been put on high alert following a cholera outbreak in Karen after five cases were confirmed.
The infectious disease is usually caused by bacteria found in food or water contaminated by feces from a person with the infection. It is not likely you will catch cholera just from casual contact with an infected person.
Local media said that the County health executive, Bernard Muia, had confirmed the cases, but denied there were any deaths related to the disease.
According to Dr Muia, the cholera outbreak has also been reported in Murang’a and Garissa counties.
Dr Muia, told local sources on Thursday, that the three being treated, who were attending a wedding in Karen, could have contracted the disease from Western Kenya.
There is already an alert in place for treatment centres to be activated to address the cholera situation and attempt to curb further spread of the disease.
The last cholera outbreak in Kenya was widespread and affected around 30 counties, it started in Nairobi County, 2014.
Cholera causes total discomfort for the host, leading to severe watery diarrhea – which can lead to dehydration and even death if untreated.
Researchers have estimated that each year there are 1.3 to 4 million cases of cholera, and 21,000 to 143,000 deaths worldwide due to the disease.
