Hepatitis A
Three children have died following an outbreak of hepatitis A in Uasin Gishu County. According to Uasin Gishu Governor Dr. Jonathan Bii, ten cases of Hepatitis A have been confirmed in the county, and seven victims were admitted to the Moi Teaching and Referal Hospital, MTRH.
Governor Bii said those affected by the viral disease were attended to at Ziwa level five hospitals in Soy Sub County before being referred to MTRH for specialized treatment.
“This was after the condition of the patients aged between 12 and 20 who hail from Ziwa and Segero areas got worse necessitating their quick transfer to MTRH in Eldoret for specialized attention,” said the governor on Monday while on a tour of the newly refurbished Uasin Gishu County Hospital in Eldoret town.
The county hospital is among over 150 health facilities that have undergone a facelift worth millions of shillings.
Dr. Bii however assured residents that his government had taken necessary measures to contain the disease in affected areas of the county.
“There should be no cause for alarm since our medical teams have taken precautionary control measures to contain the spread of the disease,” he assured. He said his government has already rolled out sensitization programmes through community health workers across the county on the dangers of the disease.
“Our officers from the public health department have heightened surveillance within the affected areas to avert the recurrence of the diseases that have caused fear and anxiety among the residents,” he said.
The governor said plans were underway to procure testing kits to enhance early detection and treatment of the disease adding that they have mapped out all the vulnerable regions to ensure the disease is contained.