The Ministry of Health has issued a warning after confirming an outbreak of Chickenpox disease in Nairobi County.
The Ministry confirmed the outbreak in the Capital and Mombasa County after several mild cases were reported in the areas.
Nairobi residents have now been advised to avoid crowded areas and limit contact with all infected patients to avoid aggravating spread of the infection.
Though Chickenpox has not been a major cause for alarm, patients can recover from the disease in about a week after contracting it even without seeking medical treatment for the mild cases.
“The disease is more prevalent in dry and overcrowded places and, therefore, we are advising people to improve their hygiene level and limit contact with those who are infected,” stated an official from the Department of Disease Surveillance.
However, the illness might be complicated and dangerous especially in children and pregnant women and manifests itself in form of large itchy lashes.
The government has further clarified that the disease mortality rate is low since most of the more than 1200 cases reported in the year have been successfully controlled.
“The burden of the disease is usually very low and so is the mortality, that is why we have not had cases of people dying,” added the official.
