Mombasa, KENYA: 202 people have been diagnosed with dengue fever in Mombasa County, health executive officer Doctor Khadija Shikely has said.
Addressing the media on Monday Doctor Shikely said of the 352 cases reported as of April 1 to May 7, 202 were found positive after undergoing laboratory blood test.
“As we speak today, Monday, through blood test we have confirmed that 202 people have been found positive for the dengue fever in Mombasa county,” she said.
Shikely said they are working with ministry of health and nongovernmental organizations among them Red Cross, Health Care Africa and AMREF to contain the situation and avoid further infections.
“All systems have been rolled out, we are working closely with community health workers to manage the situation and create awareness of what dengue fever is all about,” she added.
She further urged learning institutions in the county to spray their lecture halls and remove all containers with water, which may act as breeding sites for the mosquito who spread the disease especially during this rainy season.
According to a surveillance attested, dengue fever is common among the school going students, hence the need for clean environments in the colleges.
Meanwhile, Doctor Shikely said out of the 352 cases sixty percent were admitted while forty percent are outpatients, with Aga Khan Hospital recording the highest number; 118.
Meanwhile, Kisuani was the hardly hit among the six sub counties with 114 cases.
This is the third time in history that Mombasa County is experiencing the dengue fever outbreak, after the first one which occurred in 2013 where 197 cases were reported with 88 confirmed positive.
The second outbreak happened between June-July 2016, with a total of 589 cases reported, Mvita and Changamwe constituencies lead with 379 and 207 cases respectively.
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus.
Symptoms typically begin three to fourteen days after infection and may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash.
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