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Suspected AWD kills eight on Kenyan district of Lamu

A boy drinks water at the Eldoret IDP camp, April 2008. The camp hosts over 14,000 people displaced during the post election violence in Kenya.
Violence erupted in the wake of the disputed elections throughout the Rift Valley and the rest of the country Manoocher Deghati/IRIN
Eight people have died on the Kenyan district of Lamu and others have been hospitalized following a suspected outbreak of acute watery diarrhoea (AWD), an official said.

The spread of AWD could be attributed to recent floods in the area which have seen people displaced, said Lamu District Medical Officer Mitwani Bijuma.

The most affected areas were Langoni, Mkomani, Kandahar and Kijitoni.

Lamu principal chief Jamal Mzee Fangupi told IRIN street food vendors and social gatherings had been banned, and hygiene awareness programmes were in place, to curb the spread of the disease.

Recent floods have left thousands homeless in Lamu and the neighbouring districts of Malindi and Magarini.

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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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