By Clifford Akumu
Health Cabinet Secretary Cleophas Mailuemphasizedsised on the need to re-test food handlers and a re-visit on food outsourcing guidelines outlined by the ministry saying it was some of the causes of cholera in Nairobi.
Mailu said that there is need to put more emphasis on sanitation in public institutions that prepare and handle food.
“All food handlers within Nairobi County must be re-tested. Cholera is a disease of poor hygiene. We shall enforce the law as far as food preservation is concerned,” said Mailu when he toured 57 officers admitted at Sinai Hospital in Rongai with cholera.
The CS asked water vendors to adhere to the Public Health Act by providing clean water to all institutions involved in food handling.
“Water is key in the spread of the bacterial disease. If the source of that water is contaminated then it will expose people to risks of the disease,” he said.
At least 92 police officers have been admitted at several hospitals with cholera in Nairobi, with 88 of these cases in the city.
The officers were among 340 who provided security during last week’s presidential petition hearings at the Supreme Court.
He further warned that cholera incidences in the county was re-surging instead of receding and is likely to be fueled by the oncoming rainy season.
“We are working round the clock to make sure we contain the resurgence. It is our hope that incidences will come down across the county,” said the CS.
In a statement on Monday, Sonko said 26 cases were confirmed at Nairobi Women’s Hospital and 12 at Kenyatta National Hospital.
He noted teams from the national and county governments were responding to the outbreak and that investigation will ascertain the report and confirm the source of infection.
“It has been reported that all patients are stable and that the situation is under control,” he said. “I appeal to all people…do not panic as adequate controls have been put in place to prevent the spread of the disease.”
Sonko further asked all Nairobi residents to observe high standards of hygiene and ensure their food is clean and properly cooked.
The outbreak comes hot on the heels of the ongoing nurses strike.
Kenya National Union of Nurses acting secretary general Maurice Opetu in an earlier interview said the government had the ability to end the strike.
He said the nurses will remain on strike, citing little efforts by the employer to address the issue.
“There is no willingness to end the strike from the employer. They have neither engaged us in talks nor have we received an invitation on the same,” Opetu said.
Mailu asked the striking nurses to resume work as they continue with Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiation.
“It is unfortunate that only two items pending on the CBA has led to this gridlock,” he said.
