Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease, usually spread by contaminated
water and food, and can cause severe diarrhea that in extreme cases,
can lead to fatal dehydration and kidney failure within hours.
A suspected cholera outbreak has caused panic at a Nairobi hotel where several delegates were attending international health conference on Thursday.
The health official, Bernard Muia said some 10 medics among which two of the doctors who were part of the delegates at the conference were rushed to the hospitals after they contracted a disease suspected to be cholera at Weston Hotel.
Muia said the delegates started having the symptoms similar to that of cholera that is vomiting and intense diarrhea.
“Those affected have already been admitted to hospital but are not sure but investigations are on going.
“We have already collected samples for testing and we will issue an alert if it is cholera or not,” said Muia.
The delegates are attending the Kenya International Scientific Lung Health Conference, which had been organised by the ministry of health.
Muia said majority of the participants are medics from public sector. The suspected outbreak came at a time services in all public hospitals have been crippled by nurses strike.
The nurses were joined by doctors in the strike to influence the payment of their salary arrears.
The county health chief, however, said that the doctors had not yet confirmed whether it was cholera but sources pointed to food poisoning or a water borne disease.
“It was suspected that the infected one's had consumed uncleaned water or suffering from food poisoning. I was there and managed to rush them to hospital for treatment and testing for cholera,” he said.
A suspected cholera outbreak has caused panic at a Nairobi hotel where several delegates were attending international health conference on Thursday.
The health official, Bernard Muia said some 10 medics among which two of the doctors who were part of the delegates at the conference were rushed to the hospitals after they contracted a disease suspected to be cholera at Weston Hotel.
Muia said the delegates started having the symptoms similar to that of cholera that is vomiting and intense diarrhea.
“Those affected have already been admitted to hospital but are not sure but investigations are on going.
“We have already collected samples for testing and we will issue an alert if it is cholera or not,” said Muia.
The delegates are attending the Kenya International Scientific Lung Health Conference, which had been organised by the ministry of health.
Muia said majority of the participants are medics from public sector. The suspected outbreak came at a time services in all public hospitals have been crippled by nurses strike.
The nurses were joined by doctors in the strike to influence the payment of their salary arrears.
The county health chief, however, said that the doctors had not yet confirmed whether it was cholera but sources pointed to food poisoning or a water borne disease.
“It was suspected that the infected one's had consumed uncleaned water or suffering from food poisoning. I was there and managed to rush them to hospital for treatment and testing for cholera,” he said.
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