Additional medical supplies and teams have been sent to Isiolo and Moyale in Kenya's Eastern province, according to a senior health official. Of 17 districts affected by cholera in recent weeks, these are the only two still reporting symptoms of the disease.
"Ideally, if cholera is confirmed in one place and then it occurs in another, new samples have to be laboratory tested," Shahnaaz Sharif, Kenya's director of public health, said of the new diarrhoea cases in Isiolo.
Three of the 176 cases of acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) reported in the Isiolo town of Kipsing by 1 April were confirmed to be cholera.
Awareness campaigns to improve hygiene and healthy behaviour have been intensified along the border between Isiolo and Laikipia districts, according to a Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) official, David Wambua.
New cases of AWD have been reported in the town of Moyale, which straddles the Ethiopian border. A total of 172 cases of cholera had been confirmed in the town as of 25 March.
Kenya Red Cross Society Regional Coordinator Liban Mohamed told IRIN that no new deaths have been reported in Moyale because communities were bringing their sick to the hospital in time. "We are currently treating 23 patients from [the Ethiopian side of] Moyale," said Mohamed.
Sharif said it was too soon to declare the 15 other districts affected as cholera-free. "A 21-day period, with no new cases reported, has to elapse before the disease can be declared to be under control in these areas," he said.
He added that about 1,300 AWD cases have been reported nationally since late 2008, of which 137 had tested positive for cholera by 1 April.
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"Ideally, if cholera is confirmed in one place and then it occurs in another, new samples have to be laboratory tested," Shahnaaz Sharif, Kenya's director of public health, said of the new diarrhoea cases in Isiolo.
Three of the 176 cases of acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) reported in the Isiolo town of Kipsing by 1 April were confirmed to be cholera.
Awareness campaigns to improve hygiene and healthy behaviour have been intensified along the border between Isiolo and Laikipia districts, according to a Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) official, David Wambua.
New cases of AWD have been reported in the town of Moyale, which straddles the Ethiopian border. A total of 172 cases of cholera had been confirmed in the town as of 25 March.
Kenya Red Cross Society Regional Coordinator Liban Mohamed told IRIN that no new deaths have been reported in Moyale because communities were bringing their sick to the hospital in time. "We are currently treating 23 patients from [the Ethiopian side of] Moyale," said Mohamed.
Sharif said it was too soon to declare the 15 other districts affected as cholera-free. "A 21-day period, with no new cases reported, has to elapse before the disease can be declared to be under control in these areas," he said.
He added that about 1,300 AWD cases have been reported nationally since late 2008, of which 137 had tested positive for cholera by 1 April.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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