UK media outlet, Daily Mail, has reported that 172 British soldiers stationed at Nanyuki Camp in Kenya suffered a diarrhoea outbreak in 2022.
In a detailed report, the outlet, which ranks among the most-read media publications worldwide, indicated that the outbreak lasted for three months between February and April 2022.
So severe was the disease that some soldiers suffered the effects for three days.
The outbreak was confirmed by researchers from Liverpool who indicated, in an article published in the Open Forum Infectious Diseases Journal, that the outbreak was caused by a novel Cryptosporidium hominis subtype.
"Data were collated from diarrhoea cases, and faecal samples were analysed on-site using the multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) BioFire FilmArray. Water was tested using Colilert kits (IDEXX, UK). DNA was extracted from faeces for molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium A135, Lib13, ssu rRNA, and gp60 genes," read the article published on January 3, 2024.
"One hundred seventy-two of 1,200 (14.3%) personnel at risk developed diarrhoea over 69 days. One hundred six primary faecal samples were tested, and 63/106 were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. Thirty-eight had Cryptosporidium spp. alone, and 25 had Cryptosporidium spp."
The Kenyan media, including Kenyans.co.ke, first broke the news of the outbreak on Friday but the Laikipia County Government quickly issued a statement refuting the reports.
Laikipia Chief Executive Committee (CEC)-In-Charge of Health, Albert Taiti, refuted that any disease of any kind had been reported at the British Army Training Unit (BATUK) camp.
“This is to inform the general public of false information circulating in social media networks about a cholera outbreak at the British Army Camp in Nanyuki,” Taiti stated.
“The Laikipia Health Service has confirmed with the Medical and Surveillance Teams at the camp that there is no case of cholera or any other disease of public health concern at the camp."
The Daily Mail sells 683,530 copies of the physical papers every day which hits 1.3 on Saturdays, according to data compiled by Press Gazette.
Its site commands a readership of 24 million people every month translating to around four million every day. The median age of its readers is 56.
On Friday, February 26, the Directorate of Public Communications deleted its tweet on X which claimed that 172 individuals at the camp were affected by the Cholera outbreak in the past three months.
This statement was contrary to the Daily Mail report which stated that the disease outbreak occurred in 2022. To compound the issue, the directorate further linked the cases to a unique parasite subtype, linked to farmed monkeys in China.
