To end cholera outbreaks, address water and sanitation problems

Resident of Mathare slums in Nairobi is immunized against cholera on the first week of the drive that is geared towards curbing the spread of the disease. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

The Ministry of Health issued an advisory late last year that six counties were dealing with a cholera outbreak. The ministry recently issued another alert indicating that the number of counties fighting the outbreak had increased to 15, with 4,566 patients in February of this year. This is a worrisome trend.

Kenya, however, is not the only country dealing with this concerning scenario. Ten other African countries are also dealing with the same. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the continent had 30 per cent more cholera cases in January this year compared to the whole of last year. Malawi is experiencing its worst outbreak in 20 years. If the situation is not addressed, the number of cases is likely to exceed that of 2021, which was Africa's worst year for cholera numbers in nearly a decade.