Cholera Outbreak in Kenya
Over time, since the beginning of the year 2017, Kenya has been receiving an upsurge of cholera cases. The first outbreak of the disease in the year was reported in Tana River county. The first case was reported in August the tenth of 2016, and the situation was put under control by April 2017. The second wave of the disease started in Garissa county on second April 2017and later reported in nine different countries, including Murang’ a Nairobi, Vihiga, Turkana, Mombasa, Kericho, Kiambu, Nakuru and Narok. A recent study has shown that the outbreak has been reported in general congested population, slums, refugee camps as in Dadaab refugee camp in Garissa. Cases and deaths have been reported in Dagahaleh, Hagadera, and IFO2 camps, all in Garissa. Similar cases have also been reported in Kalobeyei refugee camps and Kakuma in Turkana. Two-point source outbreaks have also been reported in Nairobi, whereby one occurred among the participants who attended a conference in Nairobi hotel on 22 June 2017. During this, 146 patients who succumbed to the disease have been treated in different hospitals within Nairobi. The second outbreak occurred at the China Trade Fare held at The KICC Tsavo Ball between 10 and 12 July 2017. In this outbreak, a total of 136 victims and one casualty.
Currently, the outbreak has webbed in two counties, whereby it is active, namely Nairobi and Garissa, whereby as of 17 July 2017, the country has recorded 1216 confirmed cases, and 14 succumbed to the disease—bringing forward a case fatality rate of 1.2%. As of 25 June 2017, a total of 18 tested positive for the Vibrio Cholerae. (Camacho, 2018) Major causative factors include the high population density conducive to the spread and propagation of the disease, poor sanitation and sewerage, mass gatherings, and the huge number of slums and free movements within the neighboring countries—a cumulative total of 17,597 within the period.
The country has so far coordinated the response of the outbreak by involving the National Task Force. WHO and partners have been providing the country with technical support to help control the outbreak. The country also has a plan to develop ideas to create preparedness interventions to prevent future recurring of the outbreak. WHO has also promised to support the five countries leading in the risk of the outbreak to provide response coordination and disease surveillance. WHO also promised to put more labor task force to help the Nairobi county in fighting the El Nino rains and its effects in the horn of Africa, which will, in turn, help in fighting the outbreak in the near future.
The WHO recommends the citizens in the country and the communities in the most commonly affected areas to improve their hygiene practices in restaurants, refugee camps, hotels, households, and public markets. The WHO does not restrict any traveling based on the available information on the outbreak.
Cholera burden has often been associated with poverty. Due to this, cholera has been named the disease of poverty. ( Bwire, G., Munier, A., Ouedraogo, I., Heyerdahl, L., Komakech, H., Kagirita, A., … & Makumbi, I. 2017) .Untreated water and poor sanitation elevate the outbreak, thereby increasing the number of victims and casualties WHO recommends that the government should provide adequate and clean water supply within the rural and unplanned areas of settlement.
Vibrio cholera is a bacteria that is most commonly found in areas with an inadequate water supply and poor sanitation. The vibrio cholera bacteria may also commonly be found in stagnant waters, coastal waters and brackish rivers. It is a gram-positive bacteria; it is an oxidase-positive, it is very motile with a single polar flagellum. It is a facultative anaerobe in the Vibrio cholera family. Cholera infects human beings by attacking the walls of the small intestines and ileum by embedding itself in the villi of the absorptive intestinal cells, which causes severe diarrhea, and hence an infected individual can die due to dehydration after a while when left u treated. It affects both children and adults and grown on standard media, including MaConkey and blood agars.
Symptoms of Cholera include diarrhea, which might lead to severe fluid loss of about a liter in one hour and dehydration. (Alam, N. H., & Ashraf, H. 2003). Nausea, whereby vomiting occurs mostly at the onset of the disease. In order to prevent the spread and transmission of cholera, wash your hands regularly with soap and water within a period of at least 16 seconds before rinsing. One can also use any alcohol-based sanitizes in case water and soap are not available. Drink only safe water or boiled water, wipe the outside of bottles or cans before opening them. Avoid raw seafood or improperly cooked food of any kind. People are also encouraged to adopt eating fruits and vegetables that they can peel by themselves.
There is no specific treatment of the disease, but one can be cured through rehydration either through oral rehydration or administration of intravenous fluids. Treatment can also be done through antibiotics, which may shorten how long the bacteria can stay in the human body. Studies have also shown that supplements such as zinc may reduce diarrhoea and shorten how long the disease may live in the human body, especially children. Something of interest about this microbe is its ability to survive in an extreme environment such as relatively high air temperatures and cold reasons.
References
Camacho, A., Bouhenia, M., Alyusfi, R., Alkohlani, A., Naji, M. A. M., de Radiguès, X., … & Poncin, M. (2018). Cholera epidemic in Yemen, 2016–18: an analysis of surveillance data. The Lancet Global Health, 6(6), e680-e690.
Bwire, G., Munier, A., Ouedraogo, I., Heyerdahl, L., Komakech, H., Kagirita, A., … & Makumbi, I. (2017). Epidemiology of cholera outbreaks and socio-economic characteristics of the communities in the fishing villages of Uganda: 2011-2015. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 11(3), e0005407.
Alam, N. H., & Ashraf, H. (2003). Treatment of infectious diarrhea in children. Pediatric Drugs, 5(3), 151-165.