Hospitals in Kenya are on alert after the Nairobi county Health department raised the alarm over a cholera outbreak.
Health director Lucia Koyio on Friday directed hospitals in Nairobi county to reactivate their treatment units.
““The county is experiencing a wave of cholera outbreak which was confirmed yesterday [Wednesday] March 20. In this regard, I am requesting all referral hospitals to reactivate their cholera treatment units to prevent the spread of the disease,” a statement read.
She further directed all sub-counties to be on high alert and treat all suspected cases as cholera cases.
The announcement comes after private city schools wrote to parents earlier this week telling them to monitor what their children eat, after three children from Riara were suspected to have cholera.
In 2017, Kenya experienced a major cholera outbreak, prompting the county government to call for closure of roadside food eateries and food vendors.
Cholera is an infection disease that remains a global threat to public health and is caused from ingesting contaminated food or water.
According to a UN report, 18 million Kenyans lack access to clean water. That is around 40% of the population.
