Kenya has 16 new cases of Kala-azar in just one day, says Public Health boss Mary Muthoni. The death count has reached 33 across the country.
"We have 1,041 cases total, and last night, we found 16 new cases," Muthoni said. Counties in northeastern Kenya suffer the most. Kala-azar happens when female sandflies pass the Leishmania bug to people. It causes fever, weight loss and makes your spleen and liver swell up.
"We made our checking better in Garissa county. We sent help there. We put three mobile labs in Wajir county and one in Marsabit county. Our helpers work there right now." Muthoni said her team works with Wajir county leaders to fight the disease that started last September. Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdulahi said on Tuesday that they can handle the disease better. They let more sick people go home than new ones come in, thanks to help from the national government.
The health ministry also wants people to be careful about cholera, which has killed six people around Kenya. During her visit to Kirinyaga, Muthoni asked everyone to boil water and wash hands often to stop more cases. New numbers show over 70 people have cholera already. She wants to bring back the "avoid dirt" plan that pushes Kenyans to clean up where they live. The ministry gives out water-cleaning pills as a short fix, "but the government wants you to keep where you stay clean." Muthoni said health workers would hand out these pills in hard-hit areas. She thinks people stopped basic cleaning habits, which let the disease spread faster.
"We have 1,041 cases total, and last night, we found 16 new cases," Muthoni said. Counties in northeastern Kenya suffer the most. Kala-azar happens when female sandflies pass the Leishmania bug to people. It causes fever, weight loss and makes your spleen and liver swell up.
"We made our checking better in Garissa county. We sent help there. We put three mobile labs in Wajir county and one in Marsabit county. Our helpers work there right now." Muthoni said her team works with Wajir county leaders to fight the disease that started last September. Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdulahi said on Tuesday that they can handle the disease better. They let more sick people go home than new ones come in, thanks to help from the national government.
The health ministry also wants people to be careful about cholera, which has killed six people around Kenya. During her visit to Kirinyaga, Muthoni asked everyone to boil water and wash hands often to stop more cases. New numbers show over 70 people have cholera already. She wants to bring back the "avoid dirt" plan that pushes Kenyans to clean up where they live. The ministry gives out water-cleaning pills as a short fix, "but the government wants you to keep where you stay clean." Muthoni said health workers would hand out these pills in hard-hit areas. She thinks people stopped basic cleaning habits, which let the disease spread faster.
