Published Date: 2015-07-09 05:09:12
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed illness - Kenya: fatal, RFI
Archive Number: 20150709.3495876
UNDIAGNOSED ILLNESS - KENYA: FATAL, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
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A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Tue 7 Jul 2015
Source: Mediamax [edited]
http://www.mediamaxnetwork.co.ke/peo...n-trans-nzoia/
In Mwamba village in Trans Nzoia county, 5 children between the ages of 5-15 have died in a span of 3 weeks after complaining of stomach ache and headache. The 5th child died on Tuesday afternoon [7 Jul 2015] as journalists and other health officers from the county were visiting the area.
The father of a 9 year old girl, a pupil at Mwamba Primary School, who died last week, said he is yet to know what ailed their daughter. "We really don't know what killed our daughter; we visited a local health centre, and [she] was treated for malaria, but her condition kept deteriorating until she died," he said.
Residents claimed that the disease could have originated from neighbouring Uganda, as there have been reports of symptoms similar to the ones residents are suffering from there.
The county chief officer for health, Dr Maurice Wakwabubi, said health personnel are working to ascertain the cause of the death that is spreading panic in the county, adding that soon the spread will be under control. He refuted claims that the disease could be highland malaria, saying that his department will release a full report after the examination of the blood samples collected is finalised.
"We want to be certain of the kind of disease killing our people; that is the reason residents should wait for the full report and should not be swayed over by opinion of people who are not medics," he said. He urged Trans Nzoia residents to report to the nearest health centres when they get stomach and headaches.
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communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[The symptoms mentioned are too general (headache and abdominal pain) to speculate on what the etiologic agent in these cases might be.
Interestingly, last year (2014), a woman returned to China from Kenya with an undiagnosed illness with symptoms similar to those of the early stage of Ebola virus disease (EBV). EBV was ruled out, but the etiological agent involved was not disclosed (see ProMED-mail archive no. 20140730.2645280). In an incident similar to the one above, an unknown disease killed 4 people in East Pokot-Tiaty sub-county in February 2014. Both adults and children died (see ProMED-mail archive no. 20140312.2327175). In that instance, the lack of potable water may well have been the problem there, causing a contaminated waterborne outbreak that affected humans and animals and caused bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain and headache in humans. The etiological agent involved in these cases was not reported either.
The above report indicates concern that the Kenyan children were suffering from the same disease that affected people in adjacent Uganda. There, an undiagnosed disease occurred in 2014 in the West Nile region, claiming 4 lives and sending 64 to hospitals. However, the West Nile region is on the opposite side of Uganda from the Kenyan border.
ProMED-mail would appreciate receiving additional information on the detailed clinical picture and the results of any laboratory tests that have been done.
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed illness - Kenya: fatal, RFI
Archive Number: 20150709.3495876
UNDIAGNOSED ILLNESS - KENYA: FATAL, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
************************************************** *********
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Tue 7 Jul 2015
Source: Mediamax [edited]
http://www.mediamaxnetwork.co.ke/peo...n-trans-nzoia/
In Mwamba village in Trans Nzoia county, 5 children between the ages of 5-15 have died in a span of 3 weeks after complaining of stomach ache and headache. The 5th child died on Tuesday afternoon [7 Jul 2015] as journalists and other health officers from the county were visiting the area.
The father of a 9 year old girl, a pupil at Mwamba Primary School, who died last week, said he is yet to know what ailed their daughter. "We really don't know what killed our daughter; we visited a local health centre, and [she] was treated for malaria, but her condition kept deteriorating until she died," he said.
Residents claimed that the disease could have originated from neighbouring Uganda, as there have been reports of symptoms similar to the ones residents are suffering from there.
The county chief officer for health, Dr Maurice Wakwabubi, said health personnel are working to ascertain the cause of the death that is spreading panic in the county, adding that soon the spread will be under control. He refuted claims that the disease could be highland malaria, saying that his department will release a full report after the examination of the blood samples collected is finalised.
"We want to be certain of the kind of disease killing our people; that is the reason residents should wait for the full report and should not be swayed over by opinion of people who are not medics," he said. He urged Trans Nzoia residents to report to the nearest health centres when they get stomach and headaches.
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[The symptoms mentioned are too general (headache and abdominal pain) to speculate on what the etiologic agent in these cases might be.
Interestingly, last year (2014), a woman returned to China from Kenya with an undiagnosed illness with symptoms similar to those of the early stage of Ebola virus disease (EBV). EBV was ruled out, but the etiological agent involved was not disclosed (see ProMED-mail archive no. 20140730.2645280). In an incident similar to the one above, an unknown disease killed 4 people in East Pokot-Tiaty sub-county in February 2014. Both adults and children died (see ProMED-mail archive no. 20140312.2327175). In that instance, the lack of potable water may well have been the problem there, causing a contaminated waterborne outbreak that affected humans and animals and caused bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain and headache in humans. The etiological agent involved in these cases was not reported either.
The above report indicates concern that the Kenyan children were suffering from the same disease that affected people in adjacent Uganda. There, an undiagnosed disease occurred in 2014 in the West Nile region, claiming 4 lives and sending 64 to hospitals. However, the West Nile region is on the opposite side of Uganda from the Kenyan border.
ProMED-mail would appreciate receiving additional information on the detailed clinical picture and the results of any laboratory tests that have been done.
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