Kenya’s ministry of health has informed WHO of an outbreak of cholera in Nyanza, Eastern, Rift Valley and Nairobi Provinces. As of 19 January 1999, a total of 1025 cases with 25 deaths is estimated to have occurred. The ministry of health has set up a National Cholera Control Task Force in collaboration with WHO. Similar Task Forces have been formed at provincial and district levels. The outbreak has been brought under control and the number of cases is declining rapidly, WHO said in a statement. Kenya has been suffering from a major cholera epidemic since mid-1997. The cumulative total number of cases reported to WHO was 17,200 in 1997 and 22,432 in 1998 with 555 and 1,237 deaths respectively.
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