Kenyan Government Bans Sale of Cooked Food in Cholera-Hit Areas
Posted on: Thursday, 3 July 2008, 03:00 CDT
Text of report by state-owned KBC (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation) Radio on 3 July
[Presenter] The government has imposed a ban on the sale of cooked food in areas hit by cholera outbreak in Kisumu [Nyanza District,western Kenya]. Public Health and Sanitation Permanent Secretary Dr James Nyikal says inadequate chlorination of water in the area is to blame for the regular cholera outbreaks.
Speaking after holding a consultative meeting with stakeholders at the New Nyanza General Hospital in Kisumu, Nyikal said over 219 cases of cholera have been reported so far in Kisumu, with 3 fatalities. He noted that the cross contamination of shallow water wells in the informal settlements where pit latrines are common have put the residents at a greater risk of the disease. Increased pollution points along the lake and rivers draining into the lake by effluent from the chang'aa [illicit brew] dens and fish cooking points have also been cited as contributing factors. The collapse of the sewerage treatment system in Nyalenda [suburb of Kisumu] leading to the draining of raw sewage into the lake is another factor compounding the matter.
Nyikal has proposed the formation of a public health water sanitation committee to strategies on how to route out persistent cholera outbreaks in Kisumu.
Originally published by KBC Radio, Nairobi, in English 0400 3 Jul 08.
(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring Africa. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: BBC Monitoring Africa
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