Mombasa County will be carrying out a vaccination campaign against rotavirus after three cases of the disease were confirmed from 75 that were reported.
Addressing the media at the County government offices on Tuesday, Mombasa Governor Abdullswamad Sheriff Nassir cautioned parents, especially those with children under the age of 18 months, to ensure their children are vaccinated when the exercise begins.
“For several days we have been witnessing an increase in cases of children suffering from diarrhea. We have tested for cholera and confirmed it is not the case but the signs show that it is rotavirus,” said Governor Nassir.
He said the county government is putting in place different measures to curb the spread of the disease.
“What we are doing as a county is we have agreed that the Coast General Hospital will employ 54 health workers including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to help in controlling the outbreak,” said Governor Nassir.
He also said that all community health volunteers will from now until June be receiving a stipend from the county government.
“Majority of the cases, and actually where it started is in Kisauni sub-county. The origin is being attributed to a daycare in Mshomoroni area,” said the Mombasa Governor.
The county boss also cautioned food handlers and everyone else to ensure they always wash their hands to ensure the disease which is fecal-oral does not spread.
“Hygiene is very vital. The Department of Health in collaboration with the Water Department ensures all boreholes in the county have chlorination points,” he said.
He also directed the Lands and Housing Department crackdown on illegal connections that have resulted in fecal matter mixing with clean water.
