Kenya’s health authorities on Sunday announced the outbreak
of dengue fever in the coastal region.
Mombasa County Director of Health, Khadija Shikelly, said
119 cases had been confirmed in all six sub She said that Kisauni had the highest number of
case, 37, followed by Mvita, 25, Changamwe 21 and Likoni 21.
She said there was no record of any death from the fever
this year. Last year, three people died of the fever.
“This is to notify you that there is dengue fever outbreak in Mombasa County and we, therefore, need to respond effectively and in a coordinated approach to contain the outbreak,” Shikelly.
County officials last week warned that the onset of the long
rains could spur water and vector borne disease.
Symptoms of the disease include severe headache, pain behind
the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands or rash.
Heavy rains in the region are said to have created new
breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which are the vectors transmitting the
disease to humans.
Shikelly said dengue fever is transmitted by a mosquito and
has no treatment or vaccination but can be controlled by spraying stagnant
water and clearing bushes around homes.
Shikelly said hemorrhagic dengue fever is the severe type,
which causes immediate death.
Dengue fever was last reported in northern Kenya in 2011, in
Mandera town, bordering Somalia and Ethiopia.
The disease, associated with large population movements, was
at the time traced to African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops
stationed in the war-torn country, and who frequented the Kenya border.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the
disease, whose symptoms are similar to those of malaria, is now present in 125 countries.
The disease in 2012 ranked as the world’s fastest spreading
vector-borne viral disease, with an estimated 6,000 deaths annually.
The UN health agency says there is no specific treatment for
dengue but early detection and access to proper medical care lowers the risk.
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