The Narok County government has ordered the closure of all hotels in Kilgoris town, and has banned food hawking in all of Narok County, following a cholera outbreak that has so far claimed four lives, with at least 20 other people receiving treatment.
According to the County's Health Chief Officer, Lucy Kashu, said that the town is among the three wards in Trans Mara West and South Sub Counties that have been hard hit by the disease. 31 cases of the disease have been reported in Kilgoris, Shankoe, and Lorgorian wards.
Kashu said that all hotel operations and food hawking should be halted until the Narok County health Department suppresses the spread of the disease. Cholera is primarily spread through contaminated water and food containing the bacteria.
For individuals to hawk, they will be required to seek special permission from the Narok County government, according to Kashu.
"Several wards in this county have been affected by the disease, and we have already taken action to ensure that the cases that have been reported are being treated," Kashu stated.
"Going forward, because of the danger presented by the disease, all the hotel and food hawking operations in Kilgoris town should stop until the disease is eliminated in the county," she added.
Cholera is an acute diarrhoea infection caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
The disease can cause severe acute watery diarrhoea and can be fatal within hours if untreated. Other symptoms of the disease, which has a case fatality rate of 6.2 per cent, include vomiting, muscle cramps, and severe dehydration, which often appear within 2 hours to 5 days after infection.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are 1.3 to 4.0 million cases and 21,000 to 143,000 deaths from cholera worldwide each year.
Kashu has further noted that the county government has kick-started an intense campaign to raise awareness of the disease and preventative measures, such as frequently washing hands.
Additionally, the county government has offered training to Community Health Promoters to ensure that they are well-equipped to deal with cholera cases.
"We have already started raising awareness among residents of these sub-counties to ensure that they adhere to some practices, such as washing hands frequently, to prevent the spread of the disease," she added.
