Dirty drinking water kills 3 in Kenya

Children share the same drinking water with goats and sheep at Malalba Gaal Ch'orro borehole in North Horr Town in Marsabit County in northeastern Kenya. Three people have died in the country of water-related diseases.

Three people have died in North Horr, Marsabit County in northeastern Kenya after consuming untreated water.

According to the county director for public health, Mr Adano Kochi, there was an outbreak of diarrhoeal diseases in North Horr and Dukana wards that has affected up to 73 people.

In an interview with the Nation, Mr Kochi said the county health department had responded to the outbreak.

Three types

“We got a report where people have been affected by three types of diarrhoea and after screening some of them we found out that use of untreated water was a major problem among the people,” said Mr Kochi

The county has been severely affected by the ongoing drought ravaging many parts of the country.

The failed rains have led to water shortages and the intervention process has been slow, noted Mr Kochi.

The outbreak

“Most areas do not have treated water supply and home water treatment has been a big problem,” said Mr Kochi.

He said the health department had distributed water treatment to more than 200 household as a measure to control the outbreak.