Hawking food banned to tame cholera spread

The Nyeri County government has banned hawking of cooked food in a bid to prevent the spread of cholera.

County Executive for health Charles Githinji also advised county residents to be on high alert for a possible outbreak of the disease that has since been reported in other counties.

In spelling out measures to prevent the disease, Dr Githinji also directed all households with no access to treated and piped water, mostly in slums, to be supplied with  free chlorine tablets.

"I direct all the public health officers to start re-inspecting all food outlets like hotels and restaurants in the eight sub-counties by invoking the provision of Public Health Act cap 242," he said.

He told all personnel in health facilities to be on high alert and heighten surveillance, adding that suspected cases must be reported for further investigation and response.

He said constant interaction and the proximity with the affected counties including Murang'a, Nakuru, Nairobi and Kiambu had increased the danger of trans border transmission.

INTERNATIONAL EVENT

"Going by the transmission pattern since it was first reported in Nairobi County on December 26, the disease has spread to neighboring counties like Murang'a which has so far reported 278 cases and two deaths," Githinji said.

This, he said, called for precautionary measures to be put in place especially at this time when the county was preparing to host an international event in one weeks' time.

"Hawking of cooked food has a high transition of water borne diseases bearing in mind the county is preparing for the beautification of  Catholic Sister Irene Stefani," Githinji said.

He appealed to politicians not to politicise the banning of hawking of food saying health issues were a matter of life and death as they have a direct impact on residents' lives.

Cholera, he said, occurs mainly in areas with poor sanitation.