Siaya fights to contain killer cholera

Fredrick Opondo is a disturbed man. He lost his mother this week and two of his siblings are in hospital.

The cold send-off that the family gave their mother still bothers him. The burial of Pauline Aoko, 56, in Ochiko Wange village in Ugunja, Siaya, was unusual. Opondo recalls how they were ordered not to allow any outsiders to attend.

“There were health officials who came and showed us how to handle our mother’s corpse. They gave us some drugs and told us not to interact with our neighbours,” he says.

Prior to her demise, Aoko had been admitted to Rang’ala Mission Hospital with symptoms such as vomiting, body pain and fatigue. The diagnosis was cholera.

This week, five people died from the disease in the area. Aoko’s daughter and daughter-in-law are still at Ambira Health Centre.

Wash hands

“I hope you have come to help our sister and the son who are in hospital. We have lost our mother and cannot afford to lose more family members,” Opondo tells our team.

The family is among the many in the sub-county who have lost their loved ones following a cholera outbreak that has left 69 people hospitalised.

According to the residents, the death toll could be higher given that other villages have also been hit.

But according to the County Director of Health Dr Samuel Omondi, there are only five deaths reported by Wednesday evening while 69 others are in different health facilities.

The director said majority of patients are from Ukwala and Ugunja in Sango, Uhembo, Rangala, Kobare, Rarieda, Ochiko, Wange and Nyadhi villages situated along seasonal rivers Wuoroya and Uludhi in Ugunja. Omondi also revealed that new cases of infection have been reported at Alego Usonga sub-county.

Siaya County Governor Cornel Rasanga, who visited the affected health centres in Ugunja on Thursday called on the health facilities not to charge patients suffering from cholera.

He said all affected families charged hospital fees at the private facilities should also be refunded.

Aoko’s family members said they had paid Sh4,950 when their mother was admitted to a health facility.

“The county government will waive the hospital bills for those affected by the outbreak and hospitalised in private facilities. The family of those affected should be refunded their money,” said Rasanga.

The director said the outbreak is under control and they are working with a team of health professionals to contain the situation.

“The victims are out of danger. We are working with Unicef, a team from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and Red Cross to manage the outbreak,” said Omondi.

Isolation wards

He went on: “We are working hard to contain the situation. If the number of cases increases we will look for other ways to accommodate the affected. Already, the new building at Ambira Health Centre is being used for treatment purposes,” Omondi said.

He said the county government is putting chlorinated sand in rivers to clean the water and has sent a team of professionals to schools and villages to educate the masses on how to avoid new infections.

As a safety measure, the county government has banned feasting at funerals and hawking of food in Ugunja and its environs.

Omondi said a majority of the residents in rural areas have ignored basic health education like treatment of water before drinking and washing hands after visiting the toilet.

“We have recalled all the nurses who are on leave to give a hand. On top of that, we are educating members of the community and schools on how to stay safe,” he says.

When the The Standard on Saturday visited the affected health facilities, the team noticed that there were posters warning the public against entering the wards where cholera patients were admitted.

The medical personnel declined to give further information saying they have been told not to reveal the number of those admitted, dead or any challenges they are facing.

This is the first outbreak this year. The county recorded over 80 cases of cholera mostly from Gem sub-county, Kogelo, Anduro and Hono villages in Alego sub-county last year.