Two Hundred people have been admitted to Jowhar hospital following a cholera outbreak in the Southern Somalia region of Middle Shabelle.
The director of Jowhar General Hospital, Omar Sheikh linked the outbreak to poor hygiene and the ongoing heavy rains.
“We have noticed symptoms of cholera which is a normal infection and as we continue treating the patients they are getting better as we are giving them antibiotics and lots of fluids,” he said.
Fifty five patients are currently receiving treatment at the Hospital’s special ward.
More suspected and unconfirmed cases have also been detected in other parts of the district.
“We are still at the early stage of the outbreak,” he warned.
He said diarrhoea is normally experienced in during rainy seasons as people tend to drink dirty water from rooftops.
He was optimistic they will end the problem within the next two weeks.
Another medical officer at the hospital said the number of patients was increasing daily.
“We have just received 30 patients today alone and the isolation ward is full forcing us to set beds in the corridors to accommodate the increasing number,” said the medical officer.
He said the cholera outbreak had been caused by poor hygiene and contamination in illegal food kiosks that use contaminated water.
He said the bad hygiene, coupled with poor waste disposal, were some of the factors contributing to cholera in the townIn a public notice pinned to the hospital’s notice board, the county government announced the closure of all food kiosks in Mandera Town.
Cholera is transmitted through drinking water or eating food contaminated with faeces or dirty hands.
After a short incubation period of two to five days, the disease causes severe diarrhoea, draining the body of its water. The sudden and dramatic loss of fluid is often fatal.
