Positive swine flu diagnosis disrupts students’ trip

By John Oywa

They have been darlings of the destitute, distributing free food, sinking boreholes and building schools.

The beneficiaries have been street children and poor villagers in Kisumu and Nyando districts.

But yesterday, a group of 33 British students a second day confined in their hotel room like prisoners, thanks to the swine flu scare.

A Government official who saw the students at the hotel yesterday morning, said they were stressed but in good health.

This follows unconfirmed reports indicating the student who had tested positive had been taken away to the local Kemri laboratories for further tests.

The medical students from the Nottingman Medical School in United Kingdom, have been at the hotel for nearly a week before the tragedy struck on Friday afternoon, when one of them complained of flu.

Helping mission

Yesterday, it emerged that the students had come to Kisumu on a humanitarian mission through a consortium of five international and local NGOs.

The London-based Kenya Orphan Project and the Widows and Orphans International (UK) managed organised the trip. Ogra Foundation (one of the sponsors) director, Dr Hezron McObewa and Mr Joshua Odongo Oron of Widows and Orphans International, recounted how the student diagnosed with the flu was tested and eventually isolated.

Mr Oron said he was in Nairobi when the leader of the student’s delegation called him saying one of hem was sick. On Saturday morning, a team of doctors arrived at the hotel and took samples from the student.

 

 

Read all about: Kisumu Nyando Nottingman Medical School United Kingdom swine flu

 

 

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