Kenya - Mystery illness kills nine, leaves 80 ill in Kargi, Marsabit County - identified as severe malaria

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Mystery illness kills nine, leaves 80 ill in Kenya

By Rédaction Africanews with Agencies
Last updated: 9 hours ago

At least nine people have died, and over 80 others are seriously ill in Kargi Location, Marsabit County, following an outbreak of an unknown disease.

Moses Galoro, the senior chief of the area has appealed for an urgent intervention to prevent further fatalities.

Preliminary tests indicated the possibility of a violent malaria outbreak, according to local media reports.

According to Chief Galoro, six adults, and three children aged between one and three years have died from the disease.

The affected persons had a travel history out of Marsabit County, having come from satellite camps in Archers Post and Merille areas. Out of the 27 patients screened, only five tested positive for malaria.

Symptoms exhibited by most of the affected persons include flu-like symptoms, yellow eyes, and severe headaches. However, the latest victim, who died at Kargi Health Centre, exhibited flu-like symptoms, swollen spleen, severe headache, and yellowish eyes, which is similar to Kalazar.

Medics however say visceral leishmaniasis - also known as kala-azar disease - cannot be ruled out.

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https://www.africanews.com/2023/05/11/mystery-illness-kills-nine-leaves-80-ill-in-kenya/

 

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Medical experts pitch camp in Marsabit to probe mysterious killer disease

Friday, May 12, 2023

By Jacob Walter
Nation Media Group
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The group of surveillance, virology, and entomology experts, among others, will reinforce county government medical experts and officers from the Kenya Red Cross Society and non-governmental organisations, who are already on the ground.
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Maurice Anyango, Red Cross’ Upper Eastern regional coordinator, told the Nation by phone that medics from the county were already conducting the mass screening of residents of the Kargi location.

“We are working in collaboration with a team from Kemri and the Ministry of Health, who will soon establish the type of disease that is killing residents,” Mr Anyango said.
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Kargi Chief Mohammed Arbelle told the Nation that hundreds of residents have been flocking to the Kargi Health Centre for mass screening.

The sick are also undergoing treatment and no deaths have been reported since one occurred on Tuesday night.
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The disease was first reported about two weeks ago, with preliminary tests indicating the victims may have succumbed to a violent malaria.

However, out of the 27 patients who were screened, only five tested positive for malaria.
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The physician explained that the latest victim had flu-like symptoms, a swollen spleen, severe headache, and yellowish eyes. He said the patient tested positive for violent malaria but noted that kala-azar could not be ruled out.
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https://nation.africa/kenya/countie...it-to-probe-mysterious-killer-disease-4232346

 

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Fatal disease in Marsabit identified as severe malaria

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

By Jacob Walter
Nation Media Group

A team of medical experts has confirmed an outbreak of a fatal disease in Marsabit County as malaria.

The experts from Marsabit County, in collaboration with specialists from the national government, confirmed the outbreak in Kargi location, where 10 people died.
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Speaking to the media at the county headquarters on Monday after a brief meeting with the Kemri officials, Marsabit County Director of Public Health Boru Ali announced the dispatch of surveillance coordinators, laboratory technicians, and medical officers to Kargi Health Centre.

“Given the data we have so far, we can ascertain that it is severe malaria our populace is dealing with,” Dr Ali said.
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Out of the 101 patients screened, 35 tested positive for severe malaria. The 35 tests involved 22 rapid diagnosis tests and 13 microscopies.
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Dr Ali maintained that only one death occurred at Kargi health centre and said one patient who had earlier visited the health facility later defaulted on treatment and resorted to herbal remedies.

The team of medical experts later visited villages where they established that there were nine community deaths.

Out of the nine deaths, five exhibited classic symptoms of severe malaria such as high fever, severe headaches, and body pains. The five cases were strongly related to fatal malaria, while the other four were unrelated, since one patient died after stopping TB treatment, the second was a severe childhood dehydration and the two other died of old age.
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https://nation.africa/kenya/countie...marsabit-identified-as-severe-malaria-4235824